Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors is widely considered the greatest outside shooter in NBA history, but his teammate Klay Thompson could be second on that list.
On Thursday, in Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals, he got blisteringly hot, scoring 30 points and going 8-of-11 from 3-point range as the Warriors won in blowout fashion, 127-100, to tie the series at one game apiece.
It was the sixth time Thompson has hit eight 3-pointers in a playoff game, which extended his lead over Curry as far as the most such games in NBA history.
Most games with 8+ threes in NBA Playoff history:
1. Klay Thompson (6)
2. Stephen Curry (4)
2. Ray Allen (4)
2. Damian Lillard (4) pic.twitter.com/C0yY10RvMv— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) May 5, 2023
Thompson missed all of the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons with a torn ACL and torn Achilles, respectively, and when he returned last season, it took him a while to get his mojo back.
But he had enough of it in the playoffs to help give the Warriors their fourth world championship in eight seasons.
He hit eight treys twice in last year’s postseason: Once in Game 6 of the second round against the Memphis Grizzlies and then in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals versus the Dallas Mavericks, both of which were series-clinching wins.
One of Thompson’s most famous explosions came in Game 6 of the 2016 Western Conference Finals versus the Oklahoma City Thunder when, down 3-2 in the series and facing a deficit in the fourth quarter, he went off and helped the Warriors claim a 108-101 win.
In that game, Thompson hit an unbelievable 11 3-pointers and scored 41 points.
It may take a few more vintage performances from him for the Warriors to earn their fifth ring of this era, as the road to the Larry O’Brien Trophy will be very difficult, but he seems back to his old self, at least offensively.
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