Reflecting on Klay Thompson as a Warrior: 60 points on 11 dribbles
The most efficient scoring night in basketball dribbling history.
As tensions reach a fever pitch in Dub Nation about the potential departure of beloved franchise cornerstone Klay Thompson in free agency, there’s a lot to remember about his greatness as a Golden State Warrior.
Today I want to take the time to go through some of my favorite Killa Klay moments, with commentary from sports outlets surrounding the historic exploits of one of the greatest players in NBA history.
In this article, let’s reflect on Klay erupting for 60 points on 11 dribbles against the Indiana Pacers of December 2016. This was an unreal feat that I don’t ever see being duplicated again: a supreme scorer maximizing efficiency and offball movement to destroy a team.
Bonus points for doing it against GSW’s former star Monta Ellis?
Golden State of Mind
In yet another record-breaking night, Thompson was the star from start to finish, even though he didn’t play a minute in the fourth quarter. Scoring 17 points in the first quarter was just a taste of what was to come, as he would finish the half with 40 on his way to a historic 60 point game in 29 minutes played. The first player ever to do so in the shot-clock era of the NBA.
Thompson didn’t put up much else in terms of stats but why would he need to? He was padding everyone else’s assist stats as they went for 45 on the night. Thompson shot 21-of-33 on field goals, 8-of-14 from downtown and went 10-of-11 on free throws. He was a juggernaut that the Pacers, despite their best attempts, were unable to stop.
Sports Illustrated
Thompson recently joined Paul George on George’s podcast, Podcast P, and the two discussed that memorable game right at the beginning of the episode. George was the star of Indiana’s roster at the time, so he had a front-row seat to the scoring explosion.
“Back in the day, playing with Kevin and Steph, you had to scout for them. Luckily, you [weren’t] on me that night,” Thompson said to George. George was guarding Durant while Monta Ellis started the game on Thompson.
“Just one of those days where everything felt great... I was getting good looks the whole night playing within the offense. Zaza [Pachulia] setting those dirty picks, getting me wide open,” he continued. The Warriors star had 40 points at halftime. “Draymond was putting it in the pocket for once actually, right on the seams,” he added, noting that Curry and Durant’s gravity helped him be open all night.
ESPN
Klay Thompson wanted one more quarter. He wanted to score 80, and thinks he absolutely could have.
Hard to argue that one: He went off for 60 points in 29 head-shaking, jaw-dropping, defense-breaking minutes.
“Who knows? I know he would have kept shooting,” coach Steve Kerr said. “Klay’s never going to stop shooting.”
Thompson had an NBA season-high and career-best performance for the highest-scoring output by a Golden State player in more than 42 years, and the Warriors whipped the Indiana Pacers 142-106 on Monday night. At one point, Pacers coach Nate McMillan looked downright speechless during a quiet timeout on his bench.
Thompson raised his arms to encourage more of those steady “KLAY! KLAY! KLAY!” chants then let it fly again and again. He had 60 through three and called it a night, sitting down with 1:22 left in the period as fans jumped to their feet for an extended standing ovation.
“It’s just unfortunate two times I got my career high I didn’t get to play the fourth quarter,” Thompson said.