Be Water, Klay Thompson: Golden State splashes OKC, 141-114, on Bruce Lee Night
By Emmanuel Rivera, RRT PhilBoxing.com Tue, 07 Feb 2023
Klay was vintage Thompson as the Warriors pummeled the visiting Thunder, 141-114, on Monday night.
Thompson hit 12-of-16 treys in a stellar 42-point masterpiece, and came within two 3-pointers of his hallowed single-game record of 14 three-pointers against the Bulls on October 29, 2018 in Chicago.
Thompson, who just notched his third 40-point game this season, has joined Steph Curry as the only 2 players in NBA history who have made 12-plus three-pointers in a game on multiple occasions, with both Splash Brothers achieving the feat twice.
Jordan Poole posted his first double-double with 21 points and a career-high 12 assists.
Not to be outdone, Andrew Wiggins added 18, and fellow starters Draymond Green and Jonathan Kuminga chipped in 7 points apiece.
Off the bench, Donte DiVincenzo continues his ascent, scoring 14, followed by JaMychal Green with 12, Ty Jerome 6 each, Kevon Looney and Moses Moody 4 points apiece.
As a team, Golden State made 56-of-97 baskets (57.7% FG), sniped 26-of-50 treys (52% 3-pointer), controlled the boards with more grabs (45 to 36), made slightly more points off turnovers (16 to 15) despite committing more turnovers (16 to 11), was more aggressive committing more fouls (17 to 10), and led by as much as 29 points.
At halftime, the Warriors led OKC, 60-53, and Thompson had 27 points, going 10-of-14 and sinking 7-of-9 three-pointers.
The hot-and-cold Poole was steady tonight, dishing out 5 assists in the first quarter, then sparked a 19-7 Golden State run in the third quarter to put the game beyond reach.
By contrast, OKC made 44-of-91 baskets (48.4% FG), sank 11-of-32 treys (34.4% 3-pointer), had more steals (8 to 6), converted more in the paint (52 to 48 points), and led briefly by as much as 8 points.
The Thunder have cooled off from their franchise-record 153-point home win against Houston, last Saturday.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 20 points followed by Aaron Wiggins with 19 and Tre Mann added 18 off the bench. Josh Giddy contributed 15 points, 8 assists and 7 rebounds.
Shannon Lee was in attendance for the first Bruce Lee Night at Chase Center, and her mere presence stoked the 18,064-strong sell-out crowd who paid tribute to her late legendary father.
Missing tonight was the league’s career 3-point king Steph Curry who is out indefinitely due to a left leg injury sustained in an accidental knee collision with Dallas Mavericks' McKinley Wright IV last Saturday.
Said Warriors Coach: “This is a confidence booster, for sure, to play without him, but to see the performance of the team, amazing individual performances we got…It was a feel-good game for a lot of people and that just really fuels everybody. Hopefully we can keep that going.”
Upcoming:
Golden State Warriors (27-26): Visit Portland Trail Blazers (26-28) on Wednesday, February 8, 2023.
OKC Thunder (25-27): Visit Los Angeles Lakers (25-29) on Tuesday, February 7, 2023.
Note of Appreciation:
The photos, statistics and video link in this article are courtesy of the NBA and brought to you by PhilBoxing.com.
