Next to Stephen Curry and Draymond Green, Klay Thompson has always been a vital part of the Golden State Warriors championship equation. After all, his name is right next to Steph, Ray Allen, and Reggie Miller as one of the greatest shooters in the history of the NBA. However, the 2023-24 season has not been kind to Thompson and the Warriors, as they have put themselves in a position late in the season where a few losses could result in them falling out of the Western Conference playoff and play-in tournament race.
Ahead of Tuesday night's game against the Miami Heat, the Warriors faced a scenario where they truly needed to pick up a win. Perhaps this wasn't a must-win game for the Warriors, but it was as close to one as this team had faced all season. With the Houston Rockets creeping up on Golden State in the standings, the championship pedigree of this organization showed up in South Beach.
The Warriors defeated the Heat 113-92 in a game that they controlled from the opening tip. Confidence has been a problem for the Warriors all season, especially for Thompson. Yet, it was Klay who did the heavy lifting for his team in this game. Could this be the game everyone looks back on and points to the Warriors getting their swag back? For Thompson, this may just be the game that turns around his recent misfortunes.
Klay Thompson's big game vs. Heat
In the Warriors' 21-point win over the Heat on Tuesday night, Thompson notched a team-high 28 points on 6-of-14 shooting from deep after being put back into the starting lineup by head coach Steve Kerr. This marked the sixth time in March that Thompson had eclipsed the 20-point mark in a game, and his third time in his last six games.
Throughout the 2023-24 season, Thompson has struggled with his jump shot at times. His 38.3 three-point percentage this season is currently the lowest of his career.
Even with all of the noise surrounding his scoring abilities and the Warriors' chances of making the playoffs, Thompson remained locked in for the task at hand.
“Not really,” Thompson said in regards to being added back to the starting lineup, via ClutchPoints' Jack Winter. “I just try to keep the same approach. Have fun, communicate, get great looks.”
The Warriors have three games remaining in the month of March, two of which are against teams near the bottom of the standings. Thompson has been fantastic as of late, averaging 18.4 points per game while shooting 41.0 percent from three-point range in March, his highest three-point shooting percentage in any month this season. Over his last 19 games, Thompson has made 76 threes, the most out of any player in the league during this span, according to The Athletic's Anthony Slater.
“I feel good,” Thompson told Slater. “I’d like to repeat this performance tomorrow night in Orlando because these games are so crucial obviously.”
This big performance for Klay against the Heat is significant for many different reasons. Not only did the Warriors get a much-needed victory to remain one full game ahead of the Rockets in the standings, but Thompson has now made at least five triples in four of his last six games. In order for them to be the contending threats they know they can be, the Warriors need Klay's offensive production.
Right ahead of the playoffs, Thompson's recent hot streak has his team trending in the right direction.
Warriors staying optimistic before playoffs
Despite all of their struggles throughout the course of the season, the Warriors find themselves at a point where winning is the only thing that matters. What happened in the first game of the season versus what happened a week ago has no bearing on what is to come for this team.
Obviously, winning a few close games they dropped earlier in the season would've made the Warriors' position right now a lot smoother and less hectic than it currently is. But the fact of the matter is that the team recognizes the opportunity ahead, and understands what they're capable of achieving in the postseason.
“Everyone knows the experience and talent we have on our roster,” Warriors center Kevon Looney outlined in an exclusive interview with ClutchPoints. “We have the best coach in the league. Steph, Dray, Klay, and Chris [Paul] are all Hall of Famers. Me and Wiggs [Andrew Wiggins] are champions… We just have everything that’s needed to beat any other team. On any given night, we are going to have the best player on the court with the way Steph is playing late in his career.
“We feel like our ceiling is as high as any other team in the league come playoff time. We just have to get there. It's not going to be easy, and it is far from a guarantee at this point, but we still know we are just as good as anyone else, and that’s good enough for us to keep our belief high.”
Of course, the Warriors are going to need to earn the opportunity to fight for their playoff spot over the final stretch of the regular season. A win over the Heat on Tuesday has kept them slightly ahead of the Rockets in the standings, and the Warriors have yet another opportunity to get a big win on the road against the Orlando Magic on Wednesday.
If statistics mean anything in this matchup, the Warriors may ultimately have the advantage. This season, Golden State has gone just 18-19 at home, and they are 19-24 against Western Conference foes. On the flip side, they have gone 19-15 on the road while posting an 18-10 record against Eastern Conference foes.
The Warriors are on the road against a team from the East on Wednesday night, signaling yet another opportunity for them to play to their strengths. If the Warriors know one thing, it's that now is the time to prove that they can still contend in the postseason.
“We know it’s go time. There’s no time for excuses, no time for reminiscing on what could have been in some games,” Looney continued. “Every game matters. Every possession from here on out matters a little bit more. We are trying to win. Our only goal is to win, regardless of the outside noise and what our record says. If we execute and play to our full potential, nobody in the league can beat us in a seven-game series.”
Warriors' latest playoff projection
The Warriors are focused on winning one game at a time right now. While others in the Western Conference are comfortable with their spot at the top of the standings, Golden State can't really afford to just hang around. There needs to be a sense of urgency each and every game to win. Otherwise, they may wind up missing the playoffs even though their championship core is healthy.
Only 10 games remain on their schedule, and the Warriors are one game up on the Rockets for the 10-seed in the West play-in tournament. Currently 5.5 games back of the 6-seeded Dallas Mavericks, it is safe to say that Golden State will need to earn their playoff spot this season. It is also very likely that they will need to win two straight games just to get into the playoffs due to the 9-seed vs. 10-seed game and based on their position in the standings.
No matter where they end up in the standings, the Warriors will need to find a way to get past their rivals with the season on the line. The Los Angeles Lakers, Sacramento Kings, and Phoenix Suns are the three other teams in the 7-10 range of the West standings right now. This season, Golden State has gone a combined 5-6 against these three teams. The Warriors have one game remaining against the Lakers.
Although moving up in the standings would be nice for the Warriors, their path to doing so is unrealistic. All that matters now is maintaining their spot in the standings and not allowing the Rockets to overtake them. Golden State defeated Houston twice already this season, meaning they will own the season tiebreaker no matter what happens when these two teams meet on April 4.
Still, the Warriors find themselves in the danger zone, with little time remaining to right their wrongs. With Thompson getting hot and the team's belief remaining high, the Warriors are still confident in their abilities to make the playoffs.
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