Despite their struggles this year, the Golden State Warriors pulled off a big-time win on Saturday night, taking down the Boston Celtics in a 123-107 victory. The Celtics are the best team in the league, so it was a crucial win for the Warriors, who have been great at home all year.
One of the biggest moments of the game came in the first quarter. Klay Thompson ran down Jayson Tatum at the rim and pinned his shot in the backboard. After the game, Thompson revealed just how much that play meant to him.
“It felt really good to pin somebody off the backboard,” Thompson said. “I haven’t done that in, I think, four years. That was probably my favorite moment for myself tonight.”
This season has been a pretty weird one for Thompson, as it marks his first full season back from injury. While he started off the season struggling, he’s turned things around a bit, but his defense hasn’t quite looked the same. However, his pindown block on Tatum was an impressive showing on that side of the ball.
While he may not be the defender he once was, his shooting has taken a turn for the better. He dropped 34 points, five rebounds, and two assists against the Celtics. And on the season, Thompson is averaging 18.9 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.5 assists on 40.6% shooting from the field and 38.7% shooting from behind the three-point line.
Thompson Made Recent Mistake
The chase-down block against the Celtics was a great indicator of what Thompson has left in the tank, but in Golden State’s recent game against the Utah Jazz, he was anything but perfect. He made a crucial mistake at the end of regulation that ended up costing Golden State the win.
After the contest, Thompson admitted to his mental mistake.
“I just fell asleep. I watched the ball handler get to the rim rather than staying on the three-point shooter,” Thompson said. “And that was a dreadful mistake by myself.”
Head coach Steve Kerr discussed the closing moments of the game as well, and he was clearly frustrated with his team.
“You watched it,” Kerr said. “You’re asking me what happened, you just watched the game. We didn’t take care of the ball, we turned it over and they took the game. And it’s a shame because our guys did a lot of great stuff. I thought to that point they really fought and earned the right to win the game and then we didn’t close it and you gotta close it. You gotta be rock solid with the ball. You gotta be smart defensively and we were neither of those things the last 13 seconds.”
Warriors GM Nearing End of Contract
And while Thompson and Kerr worry about the on-the-court issues, Golden State has some things to deal with away from the court. GM Bob Myers is nearing the end of his current contract, and extension talks are “on hiatus,” according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
“Golden State Warriors president of basketball operations Bob Myers — architect of four NBA championships in the past eight years — is entering into the final months of his contract and remains without a new deal, sources told ESPN.
“Golden State ownership and Myers — a two-time NBA Executive of the Year — have had conversations on a new contract, but those talks appear to be on hiatus, sources said,” Wojnarowski wrote.
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