Dread it, run from it, Game 6 Klay Thompson arrives all the same. The Golden State Warriors shooter has gained a reputation for being a fierce killer during Game 6s of their playoff runs. At first, it seemed like a coincidence… until he started doing it over, and over, and over again.
Now, the legend of Game 6 Klay Thompson in the playoffs had a new chapter. In a closeout Game 6 against the Grizzlies, the Warriors star put on a show, scoring 30 points to put away the pesky Memphis squad. It was an incredible game… but how does it stack up to his other shenanigans over the years?
Klay Thompson's greatest Game 6 performances ever, ranked
Honorable mention: 2019 Finals: Raptors @ Warriors (30 points)
The 2019 Game 6 Finals gets an honorable mention because this game was unfortunately cut short. Thompson was en route to another Game 6 masterpiece, putting up 30 points in just under three quarters. However, the Warriors star's game was cut off when an errant contest by Danny Green tore his ACL. Thompson would proceed to miss two years of competition due to the ACL and a subsequent Achilles tear.
2019 WCF: Warriors @ Rockets (27 points)
The lowest-ranked Game 6 performance by Thompson is a 27-point outing where he had 7 threes and shot 50% from the field. That alone should tell you how bonkers the Warriors star is when the stakes are high.
Despite being up 3-2 in the series, the Warriors were backed into a corner in Game 6. Kevin Durant's injury meant that the Rockets had a shot at clawing back into the game. However, Thompson refused to let Houston take off, shutting them off with timely threes to put them away for good.
2021 WCSF: Grizzlies @ Warriors (30 points)
The only thing holding back Klay Thompson's 30-point explosion against the Grizzlies on Friday night is the fact that this was a Conference Semi-Final series, with stakes way lower than his other notable explosions. Other than that, this was a memorable game for the Warriors star in more ways than one, as it was a statement game from him.
The Grizzlies were threatening to give the Warriors flashbacks to their 2016 Finals, blowing out the Dubs in a 39-point beatdown. After that game, Thompson called their effort “awful“, but promised that we'll see a totally different effort from them. Well, it's safe to say we got that and then some.
“It was awful,” the Warriors star told ClutchPoints. “It was embarrassing…But sometimes basketball isn’t an exact science, and we played like a shell of ourselves. So like I said before, we’ll watch film, and make the necessary adjustments, and you’ll see a totally different effort on Friday.”
2018 WCF: Rockets @ Warriors (35 points)
When the going gets tough, the tough gets going. And when Klay Thompson's going, he's going OFF. The Rockets learned this the hard way back in 2018, when they faced the Warriors in Game 6 on the road holding a 3-2 lead.
This was the peak of the Warriors and Rockets' rivalry. At the time, Houston was poised to be the team to knock the Dubs off of the totem pole. However, Thompson was having none of that, torching the Rockets for 35 points on 9 threes to send them to a do-or-die Game 7. This seemingly was the straw that broke Houston's back, as they would go on to miss 27 straight threes in the final game.
2016 WCF: Warriors @ Thunder (41 points)
And of course, we get to this game. The quintessential playoff Game 6 Klay Thompson, the game that started this trend. This was arguably Klay's breakout performance in the playoffs, and he almost single-handedly willed the Warriors to a Game 6 win on the road against a rowdy Thunder crowd.
Down 2-3 in the series, the Warriors needed to eke out a win in Game 6 to keep their 73-9 season alive. Thompson answered the called, pouring in 41 big points on 12 threes to stay alive in the series. It was one of those games where it felt like Klay couldn't miss even if he tried.
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