Chris Paul's long-awaited return from a broken hand couldn't have gone much better for the future Hall-of-Famer. Even more encouraging for the Golden State Warriors? Their updated second unit spearheaded a 123-112 victory over the Washington Wizards, with Paul playing a big role in another hot shooting night from Klay Thompson.
Thompson scored a team-high 25 points in the nation's capitol, adding three rebounds and four assists in 27 minutes off the bench. He shot 9-of-16 overall and 6-of-11 from deep, marking the third time in five games the future Hall-of-Famer has drained at least five triples since being moved out of the starting lineup. Paul found Thompson for a pair of right-wing threes during the Dubs' decisive third quarter, also freeing the second Splash Brother up for two more triples with solid screens out of post split action.
After the game, a glowing Thompson extolled the virtues of sharing the floor with the Point God.
“CP is one of the greatest to ever see the floor. His ability to read the floor, especially offensively, is second to none,” Thompson said. “We have a great chemistry out there, especially when I have it going. He’s looking for me off pin-downs, off ball screens and he’s an incredibly unselfish player. You don’t get to top-five assists all-time without being like that. It’s just a privilege being able to play with him and I look forward to having a great partnership the rest of the season.”
Paul was arguably Golden State's most impactful player in his first game action since January 5th, finishing with nine points, four rebounds, six assists and four steals en route to a +17 plus-minus in 21 minutes.
A sleepy, sloppy start for the Warriors turned at the beginning of the second quarter, when Paul and Thompson led a bench-heavy lineup also featuring Moses Moody—who impressed on both ends as a spot starter for Andrew Wiggins—Dario Saric and Trayce Jackson-Davis. A two-point deficit to begin the second quarter was a four-point lead when Paul got a breather some six minutes later, his innate ability to map the floor and exploit advantages in halfcourt offense producing high-value looks for not just Thompson, but also Jackson-Davis at the rim.
Paul's return leaves Steve Kerr with some tough decisions to make regarding Golden State's rotation. Moody will likely be relegated back to a deep bench role once Wiggins is back in the fold, and Kerr has repeatedly stressed how difficult it is to give 11 players regular minutes—the same number the Warriors have played in all four games post All-Star break.
No matter where the rotation goes from here, though, expect to see plenty of Thompson and Paul on the floor together. The former has already shown he doesn't need a reliable table-setter to set nets ablaze off the bench, but Tuesday's game was still proof positive that Paul's presence makes life much easier for Thompson in his new role.
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