SAN FRANCISCO — Klay Thompson reminded all and sundry why he is one of the best shooting guards in the NBA.
The other half of the vaunted Splash Brothers, Thompson sizzled for 30 points to lead the Golden State Warriors past the Los Angeles Lakers,127-120, in Game 2 of their Western Conference semifinals at the Chase Center.
That best-of-seven affair is now tied at 1-1 after Los Angeles stole Game 1 on Tuesday.
The 6-foot-6, 220-pound Thompson showed the stuff of a four-time NBA champion and five-time All-Star. He swished 11-of-18 from the field and an astonishing 8-of-11 from 3-point range.
“I was just trying to get the crowd going. It’s always fun when you shoot the ball well, it’s even better when you couple that with a win,” Thompson told reporters at his post-game press conference, describing the energy inside their home floor where they led by as many as 32 points.
Despite being constantly trapped and double-teamed by the Lakers, Steph Curry still emerged with 20 points and four rebounds while running the offense with 12 assists. Draymond Green added 11 points, 11 rebounds and nine dimes.
After surrendering home court advantage with a Game 1 loss, the Warriors shot a blistering 50.5 percent from the field (48-of-95) and 50 percent from behind the arc (21-of-42).
The Lakers, meanwhile, shot just 10-of-34 from long distance.
“They made their adjustments. We knew they were going to do that, that’s what a championship team does,” said LeBron James who spearheaded the Lakers attack with 23 points on 10-of-18 shooting.
Rui Hachimura put up a fine effort for Los Angeles with 23 points but Anthony Davis only had an underwhelming 11 points. DeAngelo Russell chipped in 10.
