Klay Thompson’s 60-point night reinforces his value to Warriors

In March 2012, during a halftime ceremony to honor Warriors swingman Chris Mullin, the Oracle Arena crowd rained down boos on team majority owner Joe Lacob.

At the root of that awkward scene was a trade the previous week in which Golden State sent shooting guard Monta Ellis to the Bucks for center Andrew Bogut.

[...] with the Pacers, he spent much of the night running around futilely as Klay Thompson scored 60 points in 29 minutes.

In becoming the first player in the shot-clock era to score 60 points in less than 30 minutes, Thompson reinforced why prioritizing him over Ellis was one of the wisest decisions in franchise history.

Thompson owns the league record for points scored in a quarter (37) and the playoff record for threes in a game (11).



Because Golden State boasts two NBA scoring champions — Curry and Kevin Durant — defenses often leave Thompson open.

The two-time All-Star is so easygoing that general manager Bob Myers jokes that he sometimes wonders if Thompson is alive.

In his sixth NBA season, Thompson still seems a bit uncomfortable when stepping in front of the media.

Thompson is free to hang out with his beloved English bulldog, Rocco, provide solid perimeter defense and hit open shots — sometimes, at a historic rate.