Thompson, Durant do just enough to shoot Warriors past Spurs and into second round
OAKLAND >> The Warriors love Klay Thompson partly because he’s low maintenance. So it hardly seems surprising Thompson only needed a tuneup to fix his engine.
The Warriors finished with a 99-91 Game 5 victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday at Oracle Arena, and it did not require coach Steve Kerr to burn timeouts or break clipboards to ensure the Warriors closed out their first-round series. It mostly required Thompson to return to his normal self. And that involved making shots.
Thompson posted 24 points, while going 11 of 22 from the field, a stark contrast to the 12 points he scored on 4-of-16 shooting in the Warriors’ Game 4 loss on Sunday in San Antonio. While that ensured the Warriors play the New Orleans Pelicans in the Western Conference semifinals beginning on Saturday, Thompson showed once again that he reacts to an off shooting night the same way smart investors react to a poor day on the stock market. Neither overreacts.
“I’ve had so many in my career in the NBA. I know how to bounce back,” Thompson said. “It’s not a big deal to have an off shooting
night, to me at least. I know if I play hard, it’ll come back around.”
The Warriors were not always as steady.
Despite trailing by as many as 16 points, the Spurs cut the lead to 93-91 with 57.2 seconds remaining. Kevin Durant had an offnight shooting (25 points albeit on 8-of-19 shooting and 1 of 8 from 3-point range). But Durant overcame that with a jumper for a 95-91 lead with 36.1 seconds left. Durant then made a pair of foul shots for a 97-91 cushion with 24 seconds remaining.
Unlike when the Warriors committed seven turnovers in the first five minutes in Sunday’s defeat, the Warriors stormed out to a 7-0 quarter lead about 95 seconds into Tuesday’s game. But then the Warriors only held a 2220 first-quarter lead.
Though Durant eclipsed Paul Pierce and Kevin McHale for 19th place on the NBA’s all-time playoffs scoring list, Thompson played with more steadiness.
“Klay was just amazing tonight. He was great all series,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “I know he had a tough shooting night in Game 4. But I liked his movement off the ball and his energy defensively. What he does for us all year is what he has done in this series.”
Not surprising for a player who infamously posted a career-high 60 points last season in Indiana despite missing practice the day before.
“I don’t know if I’ll get 60 [points],” Thompson said after Monday’s practice. “But if I get half of that, I’ll be happy.”
Thompson did not reach the 30-point plateau. But he is likely happy anyway. Thompson became the third Warriors player along with Rick Barry and Stephen Curry to make 600 postseason field goals. The Warriors held San Antonio to 37.2 percent shooting, despite Spurs center LaMarcus Aldridge
posting 30 points while going 8 of 18 from the field. And, most important, the Warriors avoided a Game 6 in San Antonio. Instead, the Warriors have two extra days to rest and prepare for the Pelicans.
“We do not want to make that flight back to San Antonio,” Thompson said beforehand. “That’s no fun.”
Besides his 1-of-5 mark from 3-point range, Thompson had plenty of fun in Game 5. He had 11 second-quarter points on 5-of-5 shooting. He drilled a 21-foot jumper at the buzzer, prompting Curry to celebrate with him along the sideline. When Thompson drew a foul on Spurs forward
Kyle Anderson after making a layup for a 81-67 lead with 10 minutes left in the game, Thompson pumped his fist.
Thompson’s game seemed simple. After all, Thompson vowed to spend the rest of his Monday following practice watching other NBA playoff games and relaxing outside.
“I still took three or four bad shots. But other than that, I felt like I had great looks,” Thompson said. “I could’ve had more points, but that’s’ basketball. Things don’t always go your way. But I look forward toward doing that the rest of the playoffs. I don’t try to do too much, but I just try to play my game.”