The Warriors beat the Los Angeles Lakers by 27 points in Game 2 at the Chase Center. However, tonight the Golden State Warriors suffered an even more embarrassing loss on the road. With the All-Star pairing of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson combining for a box plus-minus of -49, the San Francisco-based franchise was handed a 97-127 loss in Game 3 of the Western Conference Semifinals.
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Even though LeBron James didn’t attempt a single shot in the entirety of his playing time in the 1st quarter, the King ended the night with a productive 21-point, 8-rebound, and 8-assist near triple-double outing. LBJ’s All-Star counterpart, Anthony Davis, also had a dominant performance – 25 points, 13 rebounds, and 4 blocks on 70% shooting.
While the Purple & Gold played some near-perfect basketball for the majority of the game, the defending champs were not half as energetic as they were in the previous clash. Only Stephen Curry had a 20+ point night, followed by Andrew Wiggins as the team’s second-highest scorer with 16 points.
“Watch the film, dissect it, be better”: Klay Thompson
Coming off a solid 30-point night, Thompson had a disappointing display. Playing a team-high 32:34 minutes, the Splash Brother only lodged 15 points and 7 rebounds. Not only did he turn the ball over 6 times, but also shot the ball at an inefficient 35.7% from the field and 33.3% from beyond the arc.
While talking about his forgettable performance, the 33-year-old mentioned acknowledged the errors he made and promised to be better in Game 4.
“I just wasn’t making the sharp crisp pass like I’m used to and I’ll watch the film and I’ll respond and I’ll play much better Monday.”
“I’ll be much better Monday.”
Klay’s confidence remains high pic.twitter.com/GsLVVNP9WT
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) May 7, 2023
What many thought was the game’s momentum shifter, the Warriors suffered a 2nd quarter blow, being outscored 36-18. When asked about the 2nd period “unraveling”, the 4-time NBA champion didn’t sugarcoat in accepting the loss. Further, expecting the team to watch the film and improve on their mistakes, the 12-year veteran said:
“Just being mentally tougher and coming together as a team. Monday is a great opportunity for us to show what we’re about and hopefully our toughness… I think we are a very tough team and we got punked tonight, unfortunately. On the boards, on the glass, or at the free throw line. It’s on us to watch the film, dissect it, and be better.”
“We got punked tonight.”
— Klay on tonight’s loss pic.twitter.com/SJyHElfs8c
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) May 7, 2023
Despite the awful performance, Thompson achieves incredible feat in Game 3
While Klay’s 15-point outing might not be a stellar one, he did manage to achieve a feat that no one in the franchise’s history, other than Steph, has managed to.
On route to recording 15 points, the 5-time All-Star reached the 3,000 career playoff points.
Klay Thompson has surpassed 3,000 career playoff points ⚡️
He joins Stephen Curry as the only Warriors to reach the milestone. pic.twitter.com/hdzEJ7utgL
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) May 7, 2023
A franchise for which legends such as Wilt Chamberlain, Rick Barry, and Chris Mullin, among many others have taken on the floor, Klay being only the 2nd player to achieve this feat is impressive.