Golden State Warriors All-Star shooting guard Klay Thompson will play in Game 4 of the NBA Finals on Friday, and the sharpshooter has two goals.

“That’s getting buckets and getting stops,” Thompson told Mark Medina of the Bay Area News Group.

Thompson is one of the best two-way players in the NBA. Not only does he score well for the Warriors, but Klay also locks down players on defense. The Warriors are thrilled Thompson will play in Game 4. They missed him on both sides of the ball in their Game 3 loss.

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In the 2019 playoffs, Thompson is averaging 19.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.1 assists and shooting 44.0 percent from the field, 41.1 percent beyond the arc and 89.7 percent from the free-throw line. Game 3 was the first career playoff game Thompson missed. It was really strange not to see Thompson out there, but the Warriors were clearly being cautious with his left hamstring.

Friday is a must-win game for the Dubs. They can’t afford to go down 3-1 in the series with Game 5 set to be played in Toronto. Getting Thompson back for Game 4 is a huge step in the right direction for the Warriors, who are still going to be without superstar small forward Kevin Durant.

If the series began with most people thinking that a shorter series was more likely to end in a Golden State victory, that calculus has clearly turned 180 degrees. Now, the Raptors are the only team which can win a short series. The Dubs and Klay have to find a way to extend this series to Game 6, by which point Durant might be able to return and give the defending champions a forceful finishing kick.