Klay Thompson played 23 minutes in the Warriors' loss to the Indiana Pacers last Thursday night at Chase Center, and he wasn't going to play the next night against the Houston Rockets as the training staff restricts him from suiting up in both ends of a back-to-back.
But when Thompson didn't play against the Utah Jazz on Sunday, that raised eyebrows. Coach Steve Kerr said Klay had soreness in his surgically repaired left knee after a slight tweak, though there wasn't much concern within the organization.
Thompson ultimately played Tuesday in the Warriors' 130-92 win over the Dallas Mavericks and he had one of his best all-around games since his return from a 941-day absence, finishing with 15 points on 6-of-12 shooting from the field and 3-of-5 from 3-point range. He also had six assists, two rebounds and was a plus-26 in 26 minutes.
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After the win, Thompson revealed to reporters what caused him to miss the game against Jazz.
"Just a little soreness," Thompson said Tuesday night. "I kind of had a little hyperextension in the previous game and I was sore. It was a little swollen and luckily for me, the swelling went down and I was able to play tonight and have fun while doing it."
Thompson tore his left ACL in Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals after getting fouled by Danny Green on a fastbreak dunk attempt. He was on the verge of returning from that injury when he tore his right Achilles on Nov. 18, 2020.
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Golden State Warriors
The last thing the Warriors and Dub Nation want to hear is Thompson doing anything to aggravate his left ACL or right Achilles. Luckily for everyone involved, the hyperextension he sustained against the Pacers wasn't serious and he only missed one game.
Thompson's revelation is exactly why the Warriors plan to be cautious with him by limiting his minutes and keeping him from playing in back-to-backs. They need him to be healthy for the stretch run in March and when the playoffs start in April.