Klay Thompson Leads Warriors to Victory with Season-High 20 Points, Breaking Six-Game Losing Streak

In a much-needed turnaround for the Golden State Warriors, Klay Thompson delivered a season-high performance with 20 points, contributing to the team’s 121-116 victory over the Houston Rockets. Thompson was one of five Warriors players in double figures, providing crucial support to Steph Curry.

Concerned about a potential “losing mentality” creeping into the team amid a six-game losing streak, Curry received the backing he needed as the Warriors secured their first win of the home stand in the sixth and final game. The victory marked the end of the Warriors’ longest losing streak since the challenging 2019-20 season.

With a well-rounded offensive display, the Warriors scored 121 points, the highest in regulation since the start of their losing streak, offering a breath of fresh air and renewed optimism for the team.

“We weren’t perfect, obviously,” coach Steve Kerr said. “But at this stage, you just need to win a game. That was the focus tonight.”

Things began to turn, as they usually do, on a shot by Curry.

After going more than 20 minutes in the first half without a field goal attempt, Curry flew off a screen as time ticked down before intermission. He sank a 3-pointer while being knocked to the floor by Jalen Green and completed the 4-point play, putting Golden State up 10, 63-53, entering halftime.

Alperen Şengün, Houston’s second-year center who scored a team-high 28 points, made the first two buckets of the second half, cutting the lead to five, but a transition 3 from Klay Thompson quickly widened the lead back to 10, and the Rockets would only briefly cut it to single digits the rest of the way.

Before Curry’s 3, the largest lead held by either team was seven points.

But unlike most of the early part of this season, when it has been Curry and everybody else, the Warriors’ supporting cast picked up the slack.

Led by game-high 32 from Curry, five Warriors scored in double figures, including Chris Paul, who finished with 15 points and 12 assists for his third straight double-double, and two others contributed at least seven points. But the most encouraging development had to be from Thompson, who poured in a season-high 20 points.

“I thought Klay was much more patient offensively,” Kerr said. “Everybody just keeps telling him, if you just move it, you’re going to get it back with this team. And that’s what happened.”

Five of Thompson’s seven buckets were assisted by Paul, who finished a team-high plus-12 and also signaled for Curry’s 4-point play at the end of the first half.

“For me it’s so fun to bring the ball up the court knowing you’ve got Klay, you’ve got Steph,” Paul said, comparing their relationship to that of Peyton Manning or Tom Brady and their receivers. “Some of the passes I’m throwing to them, you’re throwing it before they even get there. They catch it, they shoot it and they make it.”

The turning point in the game occurred with a shot by Stephen Curry, as is often the case. After a first half where Curry went over 20 minutes without attempting a field goal, he made a remarkable play just before halftime. Flying off a screen with the clock ticking down, Curry drained a 3-pointer despite being knocked to the floor by Jalen Green. The successful shot, combined with a free throw after drawing a foul, resulted in a 4-point play and gave Golden State a 10-point lead (63-53) entering halftime.

Houston’s Alperen Şengün, the second-year center who scored a team-high 28 points, made the first two buckets of the second half, cutting the Warriors’ lead to five. However, a transition 3-pointer from Klay Thompson quickly extended the lead back to 10 points. From that point on, the Rockets briefly reduced the deficit to single digits, but the Warriors maintained control.

In contrast to much of the early part of the season, where the team heavily relied on Curry, the Warriors’ supporting cast stepped up. Led by Curry’s 32 points, five Warriors players scored in double figures, including Chris Paul, who recorded 15 points and 12 assists for his third consecutive double-double. Another significant contribution came from Thompson, who scored a season-high 20 points.

Head coach Steve Kerr praised Thompson’s offensive patience, emphasizing the team’s advice to keep the ball moving, resulting in positive outcomes. Five of Thompson’s seven baskets were assisted by Paul, who finished with a team-high plus-12 and played a crucial role in the Warriors’ victory.

Following Andrew Wiggins’ impressive performance on Saturday, Warriors coach Steve Kerr appeared to have a strategy to revitalize another struggling star, Klay Thompson, against the Rockets.

In his pregame remarks, Kerr hinted at the patience he exercised with Wiggins, leading to his season-high 31 points in the last game, and suggested a similar approach for Thompson. True to Kerr’s plan, Thompson, set free by a screen from Kevon Looney, took the Warriors’ first shot of the game on their initial trip up the floor.

Nine of the Warriors’ first 13 attempts came from Thompson’s hand. He scored his first points as the shot clock wound down, and the crowd erupted when Curry found him for an open three-pointer. Thompson also converted a three-point play by putting his shoulder into Dillon Brooks, drawing boos from the crowd due to his past with the Memphis Grizzlies.

Thompson expressed satisfaction with his performance, acknowledging that while it felt good, he has scored more points in a quarter. By the end of the first quarter, Thompson had already accumulated 12 points, but the Warriors held only a slim 2-point lead.

Crucial 3-pointers from Dario Saric (18 points) and Wiggins, who followed his 31-point effort with 12, helped maintain the Warriors’ lead. In a departure from his usual substitution pattern, Curry returned to the game at the start of the fourth quarter with a 92-81 advantage and remained on the court until the final buzzer, signaling the team’s determination to secure the much-needed victory after six consecutive losses.

As the final buzzer sounded, Curry raised his arms in celebration, signifying the end of the losing streak and a long-awaited victory for the Warriors.

“He mentioned it at the end of the third quarter, if I would like to start the fourth,” Curry said. “I didn’t necessarily know if he meant the whole fourth. We didn’t talk about that. Obviously we needed this game …  It’s still early in the year. (But) we hadn’t had good energy walking off this floor in a while. We needed this one, for sure.”