Steph Curry Reacts to Klay Thompson's Big Night Against Sacramento Kings
Stephen Curry has seen it before. Against a visiting Sacramento Kings team midway through the regular season, his teammate and fellow Splash Brother Klay Thompson got red-hot.
While it wasn’t a 37-point quarter that set the NBA record books on fire like it was on that January night in 2015, Thursday reminded Curry of just how lethal Thompson can be when he gets in the “zone.”
“It was awesome to see,” said Curry. “I love when he’s got that pep in his step. Getting rewarded with shots going in. He can get hot at any moment. He gets that look in his eye. We love to see that.”
In a 126-114 win over the Kings, Thompson scored a team-high 23 points, matching his highest scoring total for the season. Thompson’s night also included 17 points and six triples in the first half.
In total, the Warriors sank 20 of the 48 three-pointers attempted, allowing them to hold off a Kings team that trailed by as many as 26 points before halftime. Of those 20, seven came from Thomson, who returned less than a month ago after missing two full seasons with an ACL and Achilles injury.
In a similar fashion to his Jan. 23 night in 2015 when he hit 13 of the 13 shots he took in the third quarter against the Kings, Thompson seemingly could not miss in the second frame of Thursday’s game.
From hitting wide-open corner triples, to firing step-back shots from deep with defenders draped over him, Thompson’s shot looked as accurate as it’s been since his return to the floor, which came with a special feeling for the three-time NBA champion.
“I felt so dang good,” Thompson said. “With everything I’ve been through, I just really appreciate nights like this. The shooting part is so much fun and seeing hard work pay off, it just hits different.”
Were there any complaints coming out of Thompson’s stellar performance? According to Curry, there was one
“I just have to give him some pointers on his celebrations,” said Curry. “I think the first one, he didn’t even realize that they hadn't called a timeout yet. He was already looking at the crowd. It was definitely going to happen but he was a little premature.
“Other than that it was a flawless performance by him. That flurry in the first half really helped us bring some energy to the game.”