Klay Thompson Puts on a Show in Return to Golden State Warriors
Scoring 17 points in his first game since 2019.
Golden State Warriors shooting guard Klay Thompson officially made his return to the NBA court for the first time since 2019. In his highly-anticipated return, he played 20 minutes and scored 17 points. This was his first appearance with the Warriors since he suffered an ACL injury in the 2019 NBA Finals and a torn Achilles in the offseason of 2020.
Thompson and the Warriors faced off against the Cleveland Cavaliers and came away with a 96-82 win. Steph Curry led in scoring with 28 points with Thompson falling in second and Looney hitting 6 points and career-high 18 rebounds and 4 steals. Thompson scored three 3-pointers and made three rebounds in his return to Dub Nation.
Ahead of the five-time All-Star’s return to courts, his teammates all showed up in Klay Thompson’s jerseys in honor of his comeback. The Warriors have dubbed the day as #KlayDay on social media, perpetuating the hype of his return. In his first bucket back, Thompson came off a screen and finished with a running double-clutch floater with less than 40 seconds in the game. Later on in the game, basketball fans in the arena and online erupted when he threw down a one-handed dunk over three Cavalier defenders.
In a post-game interview, Thompson shared how he felt about his return calling the night he “will never forget.” He added, “It lived up to all the hype and I’m just very grateful for my fanbase. It’s incredible.”
💙💛#KlayDay pic.twitter.com/NRa8LO8kV2
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) January 9, 2022
🔥 @KlayThompson is back! 🔥
17 PTS | 3 3PM | @warriors W | #KlayDay pic.twitter.com/nK77bPqJtU
— NBA (@NBA) January 10, 2022
Klay’s first splash since 2019! 💦#KlayDay on NBA TV pic.twitter.com/r91Zj8rFJk
— NBA (@NBA) January 10, 2022
🤯 KLAY THOMPSON JUST DROPPED THE HAMMER 🤯
Watch Free on NBA TV pic.twitter.com/ksffv6abBV
— NBA (@NBA) January 10, 2022
Climb the ladder, Klay! pic.twitter.com/Zq8UcB6X8i
— NBA (@NBA) January 10, 2022
Klay loving this Steph putback on @NBATV 💪 pic.twitter.com/paSjFuoXZG
— NBA (@NBA) January 10, 2022
That stroke. #KlayDay #PhantomCam pic.twitter.com/tXOUCbJsLV
— NBA (@NBA) January 10, 2022
“This feels familiar, doesn’t it?”
KLAY THOMPSON IS HEATING UP…GET TO @NBATV NOW pic.twitter.com/rRmBr4So3o
— NBA (@NBA) January 10, 2022
Great night for the game of 🏀! #KlayDay
— NBA (@NBA) January 10, 2022
Who else? 👌@googlecloud || Player of the Game pic.twitter.com/8OAPRUtHDQ
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) January 10, 2022
Klay walks off in #PhantomCam after his Chase Center debut 🙏
What a night. pic.twitter.com/UC6BHWcfb2
— NBA (@NBA) January 10, 2022
“This is a night I will never forget.” pic.twitter.com/y7OtqctiWp
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) January 10, 2022
In other NBA news, LeBron James responds to being back in the MVP conversation.
