Thompson slumping early is not unusual

DENVER — Klay Thompson thrived in the preseason, only to open the regular season in a shooting slump.

In the Warriors’ wins over Oklahoma City and Utah, he shot a combined 9-for-29 (31.0 percent) from the field, including 1-for-10 from threepoint range. In Sunday night’s loss at Denver, Thompson was 6-for-10 from two-point range but 1-for-6 from long range. It is hardly cause for concern, however, for a team accustomed to seeing Thompson shoot himself out of early ruts.

“It’s nothing we’re worried about, and it’s nothing Klay’s worried about,” Golden State head coach Steve Kerr said of Thompson, who went 16-for-29 from three-point range in limited minutes spread across four preseason games. “Sometimes you go through preseason — especially if you have a great preseason —and psychologically, it’s like, ‘Wait, none of those count? I’m shooting 80 percent, and none of those count?’ So it’s a fresh slate.”

Thompson is no stranger to October struggles.

Before shooting 43.3 percent from three-point range in November 2015, he was 3-for-12 in the Warriors’ first three games. In 2016, Thompson shot 14.3 percent from deep in October, only to shoot 40.5 percent from there in November.

To dig out of his latest slump, Thompson won’t overhaul his approach. The law of averages suggests that threes soon will start to fall for a shooter of his caliber. This is the player who beat

Stephen Curry to win the three-point contest in 2016, tying Curry’s final-round record of 27 points. Thompson owns the NBA record for three-pointers made in a quarter (nine) and the playoff record for threes in a game (11).

“A bad game or two is sort of demoralizing, then you sort of settle in,” Kerr said. “You go, ‘We’ve got six months or so ahead of us,’ and you settle in.”

Injury update: After missing Friday’s win over the Jazz with tightness in his left calf, Warriors forward Andre Iguodala returned Sunday night.

He played 26 minutes, taking over much of the time that usually goes to reserve point guard Shaun Livingston, who was out with a left knee contusion.

“We’re going to try to give Shaun a rest where we can,” Kerr said. “When he’s banged up, we’re not going to play him. We need him for the long haul. So, nights like this, when he’s banged up, we’ll rest him.”