SAN FRANCISCO – Klay Thompson hopped on one leg and flashed three fingers.
Players from both the Warriors and Kings had already started to head toward their benches for the intermission before the fourth quarter. But Thompson was savoring his buzzer-beating corner 3 that gave Golden State a 10-point lead heading into the final quarter.
Thompson had longed for moments like the ones he had sprinkled in Sunday's 126-125 series-tying win as he labored through back-to-back rehabilitation journeys from major leg injuries.
Thompson ended the afternoon with 26 points on an efficient 9-of-15 shooting. He also tallied three assists and two rebounds in 39 minutes of action.
"Klay was amazing, hit some huge shots, but also his defense, that was vintage two-way Klay," coach Steve Kerr said. "Just both ends of the floor, making one big play after another, playing 39 minutes that, was really, really something."
The Warriors were outscored by 25 when Thompson was on the floor in Games 1 and 2 of this series. But the script flipped in the last two home games.
Thompson finished plus-16 on Thursday and was a game-high plus-22 on Sunday.
Thompson's lateral quickness isn't quite what it was before he tore his ACL in 2019 and injured his Achilles tendon in 2020. But he's learned to use his athleticism and strength to his benefit on defense.
Malik Monk went 0-for-4 when Thompson was his primary defender over the last two games and Domantas Sabonis was 0-for-3 under the same circumstances, per NBA player tracking data.
"As far as him competing and looking like Klay, it's April. That is who Klay Thompson," Draymond Green said of his fellow four-time champion after the Game 4 victory. "He is one of the biggest and best winners I've been around and that's what matters most to him. It's never a doubt whether he's going to compete or not. That's who he is and that's why we've had the success when he's healthy; and when he was not, that's why we sucked."
Kerr saw promising signs from the end of one game prior that he hoped would carry over into Sunday's matinee game. Kerr called the second half of Game 3 "the template" for what the Warriors needed from Thompson.
"Drive and kick, got off the ball earlier," Kerr said pregame. "That led to some really good possessions for us."
Kerr wanted to see it from all of the guys, but he said the message was especially stressed to Thompson while they reviewed the film.
"If he gets off the ball, if he can penetrate and kick, break the defense down and then kick it, we're getting ball movement from getting great looks," Kerr said. "And that's got to continue."
The message stuck.
While the Kings turned up the pressure on Golden State Sunday, the Warriors did a good job not allowing Sacramento to rush their offense.
With 2:26 left in the first quarter, Thompson started driving to the basket with Kings guard Kevin Heurter bumping up on him when Kings center Alex Len peeled over to help. In one swift motion, Thompson shoveled the ball to Moses Moody who was left open in the right corner.
Swish.
Moody buried the 3-pointer to extend the Warriors' lead to six.
Stephen Curry said he liked the assertiveness and control he saw from Thompson on Sunday.
"Klay, knowing he's such a threat to shoot the ball from the perimeter, when he's decisive when he gets into the lane, it's just another way for us to create good offense," Curry said. "Usually that means we're getting good shots up instead of rushing or turning it over or settling. So just got to — we trust him with the ball in his hands to keep doing it."
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