Thompson’s incredible 60-point outburst one for the ages
You simply must take a few minutes to watch those ridiculous Klay Thompson highlights.
But first, be sure to read all these head-spinning stats that shed light on the true absurdity of his 60-point outing, that glorious 21-of-33 shooting night (8-of-14 from three-point range) in which the Golden State Warriors’ “other” Splash Brother cannonballed the Indiana Pacers in a 142-106 win on Monday night.
But sooner rather than later, all self-respecting NBA fans simply have to see this for themselves.
It was that great, that historic, with shots of every shape and kind falling true and the fun factor going through the Oracle Arena roof. And as the Thompson tape plays, be sure to remember the ironic context of Thompson’s memorable night.
For most of his 29 minutes, it was the Pacers’ Monta Ellis chasing him to no avail — the same Monta Ellis whose departure from the Warriors to the Milwaukee Bucks via trade in March 2012 paved the way for Thompson’s ascent. That deal, which brought big man Andrew Bogut the Warriors’ way went down near the end of Thompson’s rookie campaign, likely never would have happened if the then 22-year-old hadn’t already convinced Golden State management by that time that he was worthy of filling Ellis’ big shoes.
And now this. So much for having to sacrifice because Kevin Durant came to town.
Some other worthwhile tidbits to help put Thompson’s outburst into perspective:
In terms of wing-player comparisons, one has to go back to Kobe Bryant’s 81-point game against the Toronto Raptors on Jan. 22, 2006. Thompson’s points-per-minute pace was better than Bryant’s (2.07 vs. 1.98), as was his efficiency (63.6 per cent overall vs. 60.8 per cent for Bryant, who hit 28-of-46 shots in 41 minutes).
According to the Elias Sports Bureau ( by way of the Warriors), Thompson is the first player in the shot clock era (since 1954-55) to score 60 points in a game while play- ing fewer than 30 minutes. Others have come close, however, among them Bryant (62 points in 33 minutes in the Lakers’ 112-90 win over Dallas on Dec. 20, 2005) and Karl Malone (61 points in 33 minutes as Utah downed Milwaukee 144-96 on Jan. 27, 1990).
The18-3 Warriors have an offensive rating (115.4 points scored per 100 possessions) significantly better than their mark from the 73-win campaign last season.
Thompson became the first Warriors player since Rick Barry on March 26, 1974, with 60-plus points in a game. Barry had career-high 64.