Klay Thompson will join Kevin Durant and Kevon Looney in street clothes on the end of the Warriors bench in Game 3 as the All-Star shooting guard will not play due to his hamstring strain. The news was announced just before the game tipped off.
Klay Thompson is OUT tonight, per Warriors
— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) June 6, 2019
Thompson was a true game-time decision for the Warriors, as he went through parts of practice on Tuesday and warmed up on Wednesday before meeting with the medical staff. Ultimately, they came to the decision that he could not go without risking further harm to his hamstring that would put his ability to play the rest of the Finals in jeopardy.
There were reports earlier in the day that the Warriors wanted Thompson to rest but he was lobbying to play, and Steve Kerr noted in his pregame presser that the decision would be the medical team’s, not Klay’s. Shaun Livingston will start in Thompson’s place.
One would expect to see more Quinn Cook, Alfonzo McKinnie, and Jonas Jerebko minutes as well in an effort to make up for Thompson’s absence. The line on the game has dropped from Warriors -5.5 to Warriors -3.5 since open with news of Durant’s absence and Thompson being made a gametime decision, which means oddsmakers still expect Golden State to win, but think it’ll be a more difficult proposition.
