Dub Hub: Klay Thompson and Kevon Looney start 2023 off with a bang

03.01.2023 19:15

Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

Rounding up all the Warriors and NBA news from around the web.

Good Morning Dub Nation,

The Golden State Warriors kicked off 2023 with a bang on Monday night. The team won their fifth-consecutive game in dramatic fashion after Kevon Looney hit the game-winning put back shot in double overtime to give the Warriors the 143-141 win against the Atlanta Hawks.

THE game-winning points. @Verizon || Reliable Moments pic.twitter.com/iHPZphnwFw
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) January 3, 2023

Looney finished the night with a double-double of 14 points and a massive 20 rebounds in 32 minutes of play. Although he will never get the attention he deserves for what he means to the Warriors, Looney remains invaluable as he is the ultimate team player who consistently performs whatever the team needs of him at a high level.

Looney: “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.” https://t.co/TGcacGzvy3
— C.J. Holmes (@CjHolmes22) January 3, 2023

Loon shares what was going through his head on the game-winning play pic.twitter.com/mLCmdPY578
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) January 3, 2023

"To see Loon get rewarded with the game-winner was fantastic."

Steve Kerr talks about Looney's performance in tonight's win pic.twitter.com/HR6nhRR2Cj
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) January 3, 2023

Although several players on the Warriors came up big in this one, none were more important than Klay Thompson who led the team with 54 points — the fourth 50-point game of his career and first since suffering his two major leg injuries. As Dub Nation knows well, once Thompson gets going, it’s almost impossible to slow him down as he willed the team with clutch shot after clutch shot down the stretch.

Klay shares what his 54-point game means to him pic.twitter.com/hYSfkuxjyS
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) January 3, 2023

Overall, it was yet another gritty performance for a Golden State team that continues to fight through adversity whenever they encounter it. Whether it was the six players ruled out prior to last night’s game or the Hawks — at one point in the second half — shooting 70% from the field including 7-of-9 from deep, the Warriors kept fighting. The team is beginning to establish an identity for themselves as they continue to push through any obstacles placed in front of them.