The Golden State Warriors started off the season as one of the hottest teams in the NBA, getting out to a 5-1 record through the first six games. But the month of November hasn’t been kind to them, as they dropped six games in a row to drop all the way to 10th in the Western Conference entering Monday’s action. While the entire team outside of Steph Curry has struggled with shooting so far this season, perhaps no lackluster performance was more noticeable than that of Klay Thompson.
Klay Thompson Finally Scores 20 Points In A Game
Reporter: “Does it matter at all to score 20 for the first time [this season]?”
Klay Thompson: “It feels good, but I’ve scored more points in a quarter than I did tonight.” 🗣
(via @NBCSWarriors)pic.twitter.com/fClIweZPLD
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) November 21, 2023
Once the league’s premier 3-and-D player, Thompson has predictably regressed a bit through age and back-to-back season ending leg injuries. He was a big part of the Warriors run at a championship two seasons ago in his first year back from his rehabs, though his numbers took a slight dip across the board as he moved through his early 30s.
Things have been especially poor for Klay Thompson so far in 2023-24. His 14.4 points per game average is the lowest mark since his rookie season, nearly 8 points fewer than what he averaged last year. His 34% three-point percentage is by far the lowest mark of his career, as he has finished under 40% just once (38.5% in 2021-22).
The Warriors were reeling, and Thompson wasn’t doing much to stop the bleeding. Through his first 13 games of the season, the player who averages 19.7 points for his career had yet to hit the 20-point mark a single time.
Well-Rounded Effort By Golden State, Curry Finishes With 32
“Klay Thompson is going to have a 50-point game very soon” — Mully 👀 pic.twitter.com/AvGZjC4rJb
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) November 21, 2023
That changed on Monday night, albeit barely. The Warriors needed a win badly, and were able to take down the upstart Houston Rockets to snap their unfortunate losing streak. It was perhaps the most well-rounded effort by Golden State all season, as four players scored 15+, led by Curry’s 32. Klay Thompson was one of them, finishing with an even 20 points on 7 of 16 shooting.
When asked after the game how it felt to get back on the plus side of 20, Thompson answered:
It feels good, but I’ve scored more points in a quarter than I did tonight
Thompson once had 37 points in a single quarter against the Sacramento Kings, the most by a player in any single quarter in NBA history.
Was the win enough to get the Warriors back on track? They are still learning to play with Chris Paul as they integrate him into the rotation, and they have been dealing with the Draymond Green situation throughout the first month as well. They will take on the Phoenix Suns in an important early-season contest on Wednesday night.
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