Golden State Warriors' Klay Thompson scores 17 points, punctuates return with 'vicious' dunk
SAN FRANCISCO — As his name was introduced to the starting lineup of the Golden State Warriors, Klay Thompson sat in his seat, looked forward and soaked everything up.
It took 941 days to create the moment, including the loudest roar ever from Chase Center.
After a nearly 31-month layoff that stretched both his physical and mental limits, the beloved Warriors star guard made his long-awaited return to the floor from separate ACL and Achilles injuries in 20 minutes in a 96-82 victory Scored 17 points. Cleveland Cavaliers.
The entire night was Thompson's Bay Area celebration, which was brought with a hero's welcome.
"I will never forget the welcome that Warriors fans gave us, especially myself," Thompson said. "God it was fun and it was worth being away every single day and in that squat rack or in that shuttle board and all the conditioning days. It was worth every single moment.
"I'm not going to say the equivalent of winning a championship," Thompson said of how that night felt. "But man, it was so close to weird."
In his first game since Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals, Thompson missed some of the opening shots he normally does. But he found his limit when he warmed up and fired three straight shots in a brief boom that saw him score his seven points in the third quarter.
After missing 177 straight games, the shooter didn't shy away from the trigger, scoring 18 shots in 20 minutes.
"That's Klay Thompson," stoked Stephen Curry.
Thompson made seven shots, including going for a 3-for-8 from the back of the arc. He also reached two milestones - 12,000 career points and 1,800 3-pointers.
But the highlight of the night was "a vicious" driving dunk, as Curry described it. Thompson stunned Cavs center Jarrett Allen with a 2:56 in the second quarter with one-handed dunks on both Laurie Markkanen and Dylan Windler before pulling off more than two years of frustration. Gave.
With that poster dunk, Thompson showed he still has some explosiveness after tearing his left ACL in the NBA Finals against the Toronto Raptors on June 13, 2019, and then tearing his right Achilles in November 2020.
"I'm going to miss that dunk," Golden State Center Kevon Looney said. "The whole time here when Cale's knees were perfect and Achilles, I can't remember him getting stung like that."
Thompson needed only 40 seconds to make his first basket, a driving runner in traffic.
"After he walked in, I thought it might be one of those nights where I might faint," Thompson said.
While Thompson had physical ability, his shot needed some time to warm up. Flowing with adrenaline and feeling groggy, Thompson missed his first three 3-point attempts before burying his first triple of the season, with 1:18 remaining in the half to the delight of the crowd. was ready to do so.
He started the second half by making two midrange shots and a 3. After the Cavs took a timeout with 9:08 to go into third, a fired-up Thompson ran into a corner and spoke a few words to the fans.
Sunday's return was more nourishing for Thompson's mental state than for his physical condition.
"To know that I can still [sting] and just be able to get to my spot and get up and shoot?" Thompson said. "It's just over here."
Everything about this day felt out of the ordinary. Warriors players wore different Thompson jerseys during the pregame. An hour before the tip, Thompson exited the tunnel from the Warriors' locker room and to the huge applause of fans on the floor who were already in the building, watching Curry go through his warm-up routine.
Thompson waved to enthusiastic fans and clapped with them. Like a boxer who had just entered the ring, Thompson moved in a circle or two as fans cheered. Then Thompson flashed a smile before starting his shooting routine, hitting his first six shots, giving everyone a loud cheer.
"I started to feel that energy when it got out there," Curry said. "The first four shots he made, I had to catch myself. It felt like game. Everyone was going crazy."
That was just the appetizer. When the starting lineup was announced, the Warriors saved one of the most popular players in franchise history for last.
And no warrior wanted to miss this moment. Draymond Green had been looking forward to it for weeks, so much so that despite a late bruise due to the tightness he experienced in his left calf in the warm-up, Green still started the game and after tipoff a foul for only honor. stopped playing with Thompson's return.
When Thompson went back to the bench for the last time, the building fans weren't ready for it. He hit a 3-pointer shortly before exiting the game and went to a standing ovation with 2:41 to spare. With a loud "we want kale!" After that the chanting started.
In the locker room, Curry's son, Cannon, flicks the game ball to Thompson.
Later, Thompson found himself looking at the stat sheet twice during his media session. It was as if he had to make sure it was all real and happened.
"I'm very happy right now," Thompson said. "I didn't shoot as well as I wanted to, but I'm just glad I can even look at the stat sheet and see my name and all the stats in there again."
"It was awesome. I love my Warriors fans. I know they've been hurting for me over the last two years. He was special. I knew it was going to be lightning tonight. I had this moment." Really tried to watch it over the years. God it was worth every second. ... I'm so grateful for the ovation and the love they showered on me. I'll never forget it."
