Warriors Find "Silver Lining" in Klay Thompson's Play in Loss to Hawks

It's tough to find reasons for optimism in losses on the road in the NBA but the Warriors think they may have one.

Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Finding a bright spot in a loss on the road is a tough task — particularly when you blow a double-digit lead in the process.

For the Golden State Warriors, however, while a 121-110 defeat to the Atlanta Hawks was a disappointment in several regards, there was a glimpse of hope. In a season-high 40 minutes on the floor Klay Thompson scored 37 points offering optimism as the team approaches the postseason.

“I thought it was his best game,” Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said after the game. “That was the silver lining, [It] was Klay’s performance.”

Coming off of a giant win over the Miami Heat, the Warriors began the first half against the Hawks on a strong offensive foot. Scoring 42 first-quarter points, the Warriors built a six-point advantage in the period.

Giving up an 11-0 run to end the second, however, after leading by as many as 11 in the game, the Warriors found themselves playing catchup to Atlanta — a task they never quite managed to accomplish.

“We were bad in every regard defensively,” Kerr said. “The penetration was hurting us, we weren’t rotating to three-point shooters, we didn’t box out. It was a tough night for everybody.”

Well, everybody except for Thompson. According to Kerr, in just his 27th game back from back-to-back season-ending injuries, the Washington State product looked as patient and as poised as ever.

KLAY THOMPSON 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/ky9TKhSqjd

— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) March 26, 2022

“It was great in terms of his patience moving the ball and then trusting that the ball would come back to him,” Kerr said. “As a result, he got way better looks. Once Klay gets hot and he sees a few go in, then the bad shots tend to go in anyways.”

Even more encouraging was the fact that Thompson eclipsed the 40-minute mark for the first time in nearly three years.

“That’s a big win for me,” Thomson said after the game. “I can’t remember the last time I played 40 minutes. Maybe the 2019 playoffs. That is a huge milestone for myself and something that I’ll build on.”

With 37 points — just one shy of his season high this year — Thompson shot 14-for-26 from the floor, including 9-for-16 beyond the three-point line.

While the loss, which comes as the Warriors’ fourth in five games, Thompson’s breakthrough could bode well for a team limping into the playoffs.