Klay Thompson stars as Warriors reach 23-0, but leaves late with ankle injury
The Golden State Warriors looked every bit the best team in the NBA for three quarters of Tuesday’s 131-123 win over the Indiana Pacers, moving to 23-0 and setting another record related to their best-ever start. They will just have to hope that an iffy fourth quarter does not deprive them of one of their key players and the night’s biggest star.
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All-Star Klay Thompson torched the Pacers with 10 three-pointers (eight of them in the first half) on his way to a season-high 39 points on 13-of-21 shooting from the field. Thompson joined Splash Brother Stephen Curry (29 points on 11-of-23 shooting) in helping the Warriors to a dominant 79-point first half. The margin got up to as many as 32 in the third quarter, and the Warriors entered the fourth up 111-83 with an eye for extended garbage time.
Unfortunately for Golden State, their reserves surrendered a 12-0 run to start the final period and required the re-entry of their key players for the final few minutes. The Pacers cut the lead to as few as six on their way to a more acceptable loss, but the big news involved Thompson rolling an ankle and leaving for the locker room with 54 seconds remaining. Take a look:
The Warriors are already without starting wing Harrison Barnes due to a sprained ankle and will now have to hope that Thompson does not miss time. The early indications are positive — ESPN’s Marc Stein reported that x-rays were negative and that Thompson hopes to play Friday at the Boston Celtics:
After playing three games in four nights, the Warriors will rest the next two days before finishing a seven-game road trip Friday in Boston and Saturday vs. the Milwaukee Bucks. Those games would present challenges without both Thompson and Barnes, but it’s very difficult to bet against Golden State after 23 highly impressive wins. Playing on the road certainly isn’t an issue for the Warriors — Tuesday’s win ran set a new record for the best road start to a season at 13-0, besting the 12-0 accomplished by the New York Knicks in 1969-70. The Warriors also won their 27th-straight game counting their four wins to close the 2014-15 season, which ties them with the 2012-13 Miami Heat for the second-longest streak in NBA history.
Although the perfectionist Warriors will view the fourth quarter as a sign that they need to improve, Tuesday’s contest was another demonstration of their historically great form. The Pacers came into the game tied for the second-best record in the East and opted to play the same fast-paced style that has seen them to top-10 rankings in both offensive and defensive efficiency. The results were disastrous — the Warriors went on a 22-0 run during the opening quarter on their way to 44 points in the period, tying a 25-year-old record for most points allowed by the Pacers in the first. A 35-point second continued the onslaught and saw Golden State fall just one point short of tying the Pacers’ 37-year-old mark for most points allowed in the first half. It bears repeating that Indiana played its ideal pace and still looked overwhelmed by Golden State. Even the teams that seem most equipped to run with the Warriors end up gasping for air.
The re-emergence of Thompson creates new problems for opponents who were already failing to contain Curry. After a relatively weak start to the season, Thompson has scored at least 20 points in five straight games and shot no worse than 44.4 percent from the field seven outings in a row. The Warriors have no reason not to depend on Curry as long as he fills the basket with elite efficiency, but Thompson’s return to star-quality scoring numbers is a clear positive for a team that thrives on balance. It remains to be seen if Thompson’s injury will derail his current run of form, but he looks set to reclaim his status as a perennial contender for an All-Star spot.
If he does miss some time, though, then the last two games of this road trip could mark the best chance for the Warriors to lose until they host the Cleveland Cavaliers on Christmas. Tuesday’s visit to Indianapolis was supposed to be a stern test, a tough road game in the midst of a cluttered schedule. Instead, it took on the character of a historic blowout for three quarters. If it’s not yet clear, usual contexts do not seem to apply to the Warriors. They redefine reasonable expectations every time they take the court.
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Eric Freeman is a writer for Ball Don’t Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
