Klay Thompson is sometimes the forgotten man in Golden State. He’s often content to let Kevin Durant and Steph Curry take the wheel while he guards the other team’s best perimeter player and knocks down open three-pointers. But every now and then, he likes to remind that world that he’s arguably the second-best shooter in the game today.
So after a relatively quiet series so far against the Clippers, Klay came out firing in Game 4 on Sunday to the tune of a 27-point first half. He finished with 32 for the game, including six threes, as Golden State got the 113-105 victory and took a commanding 3-1 lead in their opening-round series.
When asked after the game about what broke him out of his mini-slump, Klay chalked it up to a good old-fashion day at the beach, complete with a quick dip in the warm, inviting waters of Southern California, something not normally afforded to him in the considerably colder waters of the Bay Area.
Klay just "jumped in the ocean" to reset his mind before today's game! 😂#DubNation | #NBAPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/txYbe6kNOF
— NBA TV (@NBATV) April 21, 2019
Steph may very well have seen this coming, as he saw a drenched Klay return to the hotel with a full-on fun-in-the-sun vibe on Saturday.
Steph on Klay: "I know the Pacific Ocean is undefeated.He got his feet wet [Saturday], walked in the hotel with a wet t-shirt, with his shades on. A typical Klay type of vibe. I just had a smile on my face when I saw him because I knew what that meant."
— Nick Friedell (@NickFriedell) April 21, 2019
The Warriors and Clippers will now head back to Oakland for Game 5 on Wednesday to try and close out the series.
