Klay Thompson’s eruption pushes Golden State Warriors past Houston Rockets

For a Golden State Warriors team battling just to hover around the .500 mark, the opposition matters little as wins feel like gold dust. So when the league-worst Houston Rockets ventured into Chase Center on Friday night, simply getting the result felt like life or death for the reigning champions’ season.

A Klay Thompson eruption ensured there was to be no major late-game nerves in what still presented as a tricky contest. Minus stars Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Andrew Wiggins, a win was far from guaranteed.

Klay Thompson’s 42 points and 12 made threes lifted the Golden State Warriors to a crucial 116-101 win over the Houston Rockets on Friday night.

Anxiety bubbled in the building early as Houston jumped out to a 12-5 lead to start the game. Golden State responded but the teams’ remained tied at 26 after the first period. In what was an otherwise competitive match throughout, a dominant Warrior second-quarter ultimately proved the difference.

Golden State put up 40 points, outscoring Houston by 17 to take a 66-49 lead at half-time. Thompson led the way with 17 points as the Warriors shot over 51% from the floor and three-point range, but it was a sign of ever-increasing dependency on the 33-year-old as the game progressed.

Thompson’s scored nine of the hosts’ 20 points in a rather lacklustre third-quarter, allowing the Rockets to breathe life back into the game as the lead was cut to nine heading to the final period. The four-time champion returned to arrest any concern, scoring 13 points in the less than four minutes to quickly extend the lead back to 18.

From there the Warriors were never threatened again, with Thompson finishing with 42 points on a ridiculous 12-for-17 from three-point range. The performance is extra special given it’s only the second time he’s competed in both games of a back-to-back since returning from two major injuries in January last year.

Golden State made 26 of their 54 attempts (48.1%) from deep as a team, with Donte DiVincenzo adding five triples on his way to 15 points. Jordan Poole also had 15 to go with eight assists and just two turnovers, while Patrick Baldwin Jr. made the most of rare meaningful minutes with 11 points (3-for-5 from three) off the bench.

The Warriors return to .500 with a 30-30 record ahead of their most crucial stretch of the season. That starts with an afternoon game against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Chase Center on Sunday.