The Golden State Warriors will have shooting guard Klay Thompson back for Game 4 of the NBA Finals against the Toronto Raptors, according to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports.
Thompson missed the first playoff game of his NBA career on Wednesday, when the Warriors decided to sit him out after he suffered a strained hamstring in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter of Sunday's Game 2.
Head coach Steve Kerr expected Thompson to be ready to return for Friday's game, hoping the extra rest would minimize the risk of re-injury, which could potentially sideline him for the rest of the series.
“The whole point was to not risk a bigger injury that would keep him out of the rest of the series,” Kerr said after a 123-109 loss on Wednesday night. “So that was the decision we made, and I feel very comfortable with it. Never would have forgiven myself if I played him tonight and he had gotten hurt. So you live with the decision you make, you make a wise decision, the wisest one you can, and then you live with it and move forward. So the good thing is Klay has done well the last two days, now he has a couple more days to heal, and hopefully he'll be out there [for Game 4] on Friday.”
Now that Thompson has been confirmed to return, the last remaining question mark is Kevin Durant, who must first go through three-on-three and five-on-five full-contact work before being cleared to rejoin his teammates.
Klay has been a steady force in these NBA Finals, playing the perfect complement to Stephen Curry in the backcourt while Golden State awaits Durant's impending return.
The Warriors squandered Curry's brilliant 47-point game on Wednesday, unable to provide him with enough firepower (or defense) to contain the blood-smelling Raptors.
Thompson's return should help them at both ends of the floor, though it is expected that he won't be a full 100%, considering the nature of hamstring strains and the limiting effects when it comes to all-around movement.
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