SAN FRANCISCO – With Star teammate Stephen Curry sidelined, Klay Thompson kept shooting and tended to offensive charge that the Golden State Warriors lacked without their reigning NBA Finals MVP.
Thompson had 42 points with a season-high 12 3-pointers, Jordan Poole added 21 points and a career-best 12 assists starting in Curry’s place, and the Warriors defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 141-114 Monday night.
“It was a beautiful game to see him play,” Draymond Green said of Thompson.
“…We needed it. It’s been a while since we’ve had a blowout win. It’s good to get this one, especially the first game with Steph. It was good to start on that foot and try to generate some momentum.”
Thompson sat down for the night to a thunderous ovation with 4:41 to finish 15 for 22 from the floor and 12 of 16 on 3s. Thompson now has eight games of 10 or more 3-pointers, second in NBA history behind Splash Brother Curry’s 22.
“Playing without him is certainly a confidence boost, but seeing the team perform we’ve put in amazing individual performances,” said coach Steve Kerr. “It was a feel-good game for a lot of people and that spurs everyone on. Hopefully we can continue like this.”
Andrew Wiggins scored 18 points in Golden State’s first game since losing Curry through a left leg injury late in the third quarter of Saturday’s win over Dallas — and the Warriors went 26-of-50 from the deep without the career 3 points -Leader of the league.
They didn’t let down for long either, which has been a source of concern and frustration for Kerr lately.
“That was fun, that was probably the most fun I’ve had all year watching our team,” Kerr said.
Thompson had 27 points at halftime and went 10-of-14 from the floor and 7-to-9 with 3-pointers as the Warriors led 60-53. Poole dished out five assists in the first quarter and then helped Golden State start the third with a 19-7 burst to earn their eighth consecutive win.
“I thought Jordan was great, one of the best games I’ve ever seen him play. He was just so in control,” Kerr said.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 20 points, Aaron Wiggins added 19 and Tre Mann had 18 for the Thunder off the bench. Josh Giddey contributed 15 points, eight assists and seven rebounds as Oklahoma City struggled in the opener of a straight back-to-back and posted a franchise-record 153 points in Saturday’s home win over Houston.
TIP INS
Donner: G Lu Dort sat out again after missing Saturday’s game with a strained right hamstring. …The Thunder were outrebounded 45-36. … Oklahoma City fell to 9-17 on the road, 3-10 against the West. The Thunder have lost four straight games on the Warriors’ home floor.
Warriors: Poole had his first double-double of the season and third of his career. … Golden State is 7-5 without Curry, who was previously sidelined from Dec. 16 to Jan. 1. 7 with a shoulder injury. “We’ve gone a stretch without Steph and handled it pretty well, so we’re confident we can do it again,” said Kerr.
ROLLINS SURGERY
Warriors rookie guard Ryan Rollins will have surgery on Wednesday for a broken little toe in his right foot and is likely to miss the rest of the season.
Golden State acquired the drafting rights to Rollins from the Hawks, who drafted him 44th overall in the second round.
He played in 12 games for the Warriors and 19 for the G League Santa Cruz team, where he averaged 19.5 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.7 assists in 25.6 minutes.
SENSE SPACE
The warriors and Marvel actor Simu Liu unveiled the ‘Simu Liu Sensory Room’ for guests who might need a quiet place feeling overwhelmed or overstimulated.
“It’s incredible,” Liu said. “Pretty neat. It’s easy. It’s perfect.”
NEXT
Thunder: Visit the Los Angeles Lakers Tuesday night with LeBron James 36 points away from breaking the NBA career record.
Warriors: Wednesday night in Portland, then Saturday night hosts the Lakers.
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