Klay explains why Warriors have played better on road this season

Klay explains why Warriors have played better on road this season originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The road was a scary place for the Warriors last season, but Golden State has improved leaps and bounds away from Chase Center during its 2023-24 NBA campaign.

After finishing the 2022-23 season with a paltry 11-30 road record, the Warriors this year are one game above .500 (13-12) in opposing arenas. And following a 119-103 loss to the Denver Nuggets at Chase Center on Sunday night that dropped Golden State to 16-15 at home, it's clear the team is feeling more confident on the road than they did last season.

"It's a good question," Warriors guard Klay Thompson told reporters after Sunday's loss. "I don't know. I just think we've been able to close out games better on the road this year, and we're leaning on everyone to play and guys are ready when their number is called.

"You know, you might not get a lot of tick the night before, but the next night could be completely different. So we've had guys who are being great pros and competing when they're called upon."

Thompson certainly has stepped up when his name has been called as of late, serving as a catalyst off the Warriors' bench in his new Sixth Man role and finishing with 23 points against the Nuggets. But Sunday marked the loss of another winnable game at home, where Golden State boasted a 33-8 record last season.

If the Warriors want to avoid the NBA play-in tournament, they'll have to take advantage of every chance they have at Chase Center moving forward. And squandering a 16-point lead over the Nuggets in front of Dub Nation on Sunday certainly wasn't a good start.

But thanks to their improvement on the road, the No. 10-seeded Warriors still have a fighting chance to earn an outright playoff berth.

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