Klay Thompson accomplished a monster milestone in the Warriors’ 134-124 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday night by playing in back-to-back games for the first time in nearly four years.
In 28 minutes, Thompson logged 18 points on 7-of-14 shooting. He nailed four 3-pointers and notched two rebounds and two assists.
“It felt great,” Thompson said after the game Tuesday night. “A little gassed at the beginning, but once I got the wheels moving I felt really good.”
Thompson, who scored 27 points in Golden State’s win over the Washington Wizards on Monday, played his first back-to-back set since April 2019 -- two months before his journey through two season-ending injuries began.
The timing of Thompson’s back-to-back appearances made sense, as the NBA heads to Salt Lake City for All-Star Weekend at Vivint Arena, giving the guard and his Warriors eight days between games.
But moving forward, Thompson hinted at his new milestone becoming the new expectation.
“I’m just really excited to play back-to-backs from here on out,” Thompson said. “I think just getting the first one out the way is just a huge accomplishment. Now it’s just going to be back to normal playing ball.”
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The Warriors have three more back-to-back sets this season, including their first two contests after the All-Star break on Feb. 23 and Feb. 24 against the Los Angeles Lakers and Houston Rockets. Golden State also plays on back-to-back nights March 2 and 3 against the Clippers and New Orleans Pelicans, as well as March 17 and 18 against the Atlanta Hawks and Memphis Grizzlies.
It’s not a certainty that Thompson will be cleared for all six of those upcoming games. But it’s obvious he wants to, and the Warriors can’t afford to have the star miss many of their final 24 games as the crowded Western Conference playoff race heats up.