Everything changed after the fourth 3-pointer.
Hitting two in a row to start a game? A hot start. Three-for-three? Now we might have something going. But four straight, that’s different. Even for a Splash Bro.
Klay Thompson knew it, too. In his 10 games since returning to the court after 941 days sidelined, Klay Thompson had hit at least four 3s just once. Thursday, he canned four in his first nine minutes.
Thompson’s first four 3s all came within the flow of Golden State’s fish grease-hot offense. That earned him a heat check. So Thompson dribbled with his left hand into the corner against Davion Mitchell, separated with a little step-back and launched while falling out of bounds.
The Kings called a timeout. The Chase Center exploded.
Thompson had started five-for-five, igniting the Warriors offense by playing just like the guy whom the Bay Area fell in love with. Thompson scored 23 points in 24 minutes, going 7-for-9 from deep and adding seven assists. Behind Thompson, the Warriors (40-13) scorched the Kings, 126-114, for their eighth-straight win.
At least momentarily, it was the type of night when his teammates — Stephen Curry, mainly — celebrated his 3s before they even went in. The type of night where goggles were the preferred article of eyewear.
After Thompson’s fifth 3 splashed, he jogged back down the court with a snarl akin to a Russell Westbrook-Giannis Antetokounmpo hybrid. Juan Toscano-Anderson brought his fists to his head, then opened them — the classic mind-blown gesture.
The circus, fifth 3 kept Thompson’s game-opening streak going, but he didn’t stop there.
Golden State’s first offensive possession out of Sacramento’s timeout, Thompson ran across the baseline, used a Jonathan Kuminga pin-down screen and found himself — ludicrously from Sacramento’s perspective — alone in the corner.
Thompson’s sixth 3-pointer of the night marked a season-high and brought his total to 20 points in 11 minutes. It was also the triple that passed Kobe Bryant on the all-time 3-point leaderboard. And it gave the Warriors an 18-point lead just 3:11 into the second quarter.
More than anything, it got the Chase Center doing math. He’s got six in 11 minutes, he set the all-time record at 14, he’s on a 25-minute restriction…
Thompson airballed his next try and rattled out his next. Whatever fantasies of a historic night might’ve surfaced quickly evaporated.
But Thompson’s 6-for-8 start helped the Warriors build a 73-54 halftime lead. Curry also hit his first two 3s, and the Warriors shot 48.1% as a team in the first 24 minutes.
The Kings sensed how hot Thompson was and smothered him defensively to open the second half. He didn’t force up any 3s over the aggressive scheme, instead making smart plays by drawing in help defenders and swinging the ball to an open teammate. Curry, Andrew Wiggins and Kevon Looney joined him in double-digit scoring, but the Kings turned a 20 point deficit into 12 — coming back mostly while Thompson sat.
Kings rookie Davion Mitchell (26 points) got downhill whenever he wanted, and led a Sacramento push that cut the Warriors’ lead to seven. Thompson hadn’t scored since the first half. The Kings took away all his space.
So Thompson drove past Maurice Harkless down the middle and found Damion Lee in the corner for 3. He had as many assists as 3s.
Then Thompson passed up a decent look at a 3 for a better look, leading to a wide open Kuminga dunk. Moments later, he found Kuminga for an absurd two-handed reverse windmill. Then came the final eruption: a Thompson steal into a transition 3. The crowd rose to their feet, the Kings called another timeout. Thompson blew kisses, jumped and threw his fist in the air.
The clock showed 8:02, but the game was over. Thompson’s scorching start gave the Warriors a cushion they leaned on until they couldn’t anymore. While GSW coasted, Thompson took what the defense gave him and added five assists. He didn’t let his blazing start prevent him from playing an all-around game.
And when Golden State needed Thompson again, he came through.