Klay Thompson scores season-high 54 points, Kevon Looney hits game winner in thrilling double OT
The Warriors have three games remaining of their longest homestand of the season.
SAN FRANCISCO — Klay Thompson poured in a season-high 54 points and made 10 3s but it was Kevon Looney who emerged as an unexpected savior late Monday night in the Warriors’ thrilling 143-141 double-overtime victory over the Atlanta Hawks.
With the game knotted up and only seconds remaining in second-overtime, Looney attempted to tip in the ball. When his first putback attempt failed, he went up and tried once more.
That time the ball went in to clinch the Warriors’ fifth-straight win.
The Hawks rallied from a 17-point halftime deficit and led the entire fourth until the Warriors tied it with a half-second left in regulation. A blocked Jordan Poole 3-point attempt got batted into the hands of Donte DiVincenzo, who drained a 3 to send the game into overtime.
The Warriors couldn’t get the job done in the first five minutes of extra play. Thompson hit a 3 with 17.8 seconds remaining to give the Warriors’ a two-point advantage. But Trae Young tied the game again with a pair of free throws to force second-overtime.
The Warriors went on a 7-0 run, capped off by a 3 from Draymond Green to put Golden State up 141-136 with 42 seconds remaining. After Young tied the game up with eight seconds left, Looney tipped in the game-winning basket as time expired.
It was the type of moment every basketball player dreams of making at some point in their career, and for Looney, it was a career first.
Before Monday, Looney said he never had a walk-off game-winner like that.
His teammates immediately swarmed him, nearly tackling him in the process as gold and blue confetti streamed down from the ceiling. They showered him with praise.
“Everybody was just excited for me and how hard I work,” said Looney, who notched his fourth double-double of the season with 20 rebounds and 14 points. “Everybody dreams about getting a game-winner so whenever you have a chance to do that and celebrate with your team, that’s a great moment.”
Playing without six players, including two starters, Thompson stepped up and got the Warriors going in the first half, continuing his trend of strong starts. He scored 16 points in the first quarter and had 22 by the half.
Thompson finished with his second-highest scoring game of his career after going 21-for-39 from the field, including 10-for-21 from 3-point land. He also had eight rebounds, three assists and a blocked shot in nearly 46 minutes.
Poole was the team’s second-highest scorer, finishing with 28 points on 32 shots. Meanwhile, Draymond Green added 13 rebounds and 11 assists to go with two steals, three blocked shots and five points to help the Warriors once again pull out a close win.
Amidst the celebration Monday night, Warriors vice president of basketball operations and former player Mike Dunleavy Jr. nudged coach Steve Kerr and told him the exciting win was payback for Golden State’s heartbreaking loss in Utah last month — during which the reigning champs gave up a four-point lead in the game’s final 13 seconds.
“There’s a reason that things are going our way right now, we’re playing tougher, we’re hanging in there and in general, we’re doing a better job not fouling,” Kerr said. “During this winning streak, we’re playing smarter, we’re playing tougher and we’re sticking together.”
Entering the team’s longest homestand of the season, Green said the team was “fragile” and needed to toughen up. The Warriors have since won a season-high five consecutive games, with the 10-win Detroit Pistons coming in next.
“Since I’ve said that, we’ve built an M.O., which is being gritty,” Green said. “No matter what the situation is, we are a team that is going to keep fighting. I don’t think this team had built an identity all year, and we are starting to build one. It’s coming at a great time.”
The Warriors are now 20-18 on the season and 17-2 in front of their home crowd. They’re tied with the Phoenix Suns for eighth in the congested Western Conference standings.
Thompson said the Warriors are well aware they’re only 4 1/2 games out of first place.
“It’s a long season and it’s about catching fire at the right time,” he said.