Thompson sets three-point record
CHICAGO Klay Thompson broke teammate Stephen Curry’s NBA record with 14 three-pointers and finished with 52 points to lead the Golden State Warriors to a 149-124 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Monday night.
Thompson set the mark when he nailed a three with just under five minutes remaining in the third quarter. He was then mobbed by teammates as the players headed to the sideline for a timeout, with the Warriors leading 113-69. Curry hit 13 three-pointers in a win over New Orleans on Nov. 7, 2016. Thompson played only 27 minutes and sat out the fourth quarter.
He had been in a shooting slump to start the season, making just five of 36 from behind the arc in the Warriors’ first seven games. Thompson was 14-for-24 against the Bulls.
The all-star guard busted out of the slump quickly with 22 points in the first quarter and had 36 at the half as Golden State was up 9250. It was the second-highest scoring half by an NBA team. Phoenix scored 107 in the first half of a 173143 victory over Denver in 1990.
Curry scored 23. Kevin Durant had 14 points and eight assists. And Chicago product Alfonzo McKinnie added 19 points and 10 rebounds as the two-time defending NBA champions improved to 7-1.
Zach LaVine and Antonio Blakeney led the Bulls with 21 points, and Wendell Carter Jr. scored 18.
Chicago probably would have been overmatched even at full strength. But with Lauri Markkanen, Kris Dunn, Bobby Portis and Denzel Valentine all out with injuries, this one got ugly in a hurry.
Thompson, whose previous season high was 19 points, nearly doubled that in the first half alone. And the Warriors set an NBA record for three-pointers in a half with 17. Thompson hit six threes in the opening quarter. He hit his first three attempts from long range and scored 11 as the Warriors grabbed a 15-5 lead.
He surpassed his previous season scoring high when he buried a three with just under three minutes left in the quarter.