Klay remains optimistic about Warriors after close win vs. Pistons
Klay remains optimistic about Warriors after close win vs. Pistons originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
While the Golden State Warriors struggled down the stretch against the Detroit Pistons on Friday night, there still was optimism to be found thanks to clutch Klay Thompson defense and timely Steph Curry 3-pointers that sealed the 113-109 win at Chase Center.
In an exclusive postgame interview with NBC Sports Bay Area's Zena Keita on "Warriors Postgame Live," Thompson was upbeat and positive about Golden State's gritty victory over Detroit.
When asked what his main takeaways were from the game, Thompson noted that the Warriors need to be more aggressive when closing out their opponents if they want to finish their current homestand with two more victories.
“The last two games we got comfortable being up double digits with six, seven minutes left rather than being as aggressive as we were throughout [this game], so come Sunday we want to win these next two on the homestand, that would be a really nice way to end it.” Thompson told Keita. “We got to just play as hard as we did in those first 35 minutes, and I know we will.”
The Warriors have struggled to close out games recently, particularly Thursday’s game against the Denver Nuggets where Golden State blew an 18-point fourth-quarter lead as Nikola Jokic hit a game-winning 3-pointer as time expired.
It was the fourth time this season the Warriors have lost a game in which they held an 18-point lead at any point.
Even Friday night’s game against the lowly Pistons was a struggle, and even though the Warriors won, it came at a cost as Chris Paul fractured his left hand and will be out indefinitely. Still, Thompson exuded confidence and positivity at the team’s potential to turn things around, noting that there is still plenty of time left in the season.
“Luckily for us this was what, the 35th game of the season?” Thompson said. “So, there’s a lot of basketball left and we’re still gelling together and we’re still building chemistry, and I have full belief in this team to do great things.”
Thompson had a solid game offensively, scoring 19 points on 6-of-18 shooting, but it was his critical block on Bojan Bogdanovic's layup with 59 seconds left in regulation that made the difference. The block led to a Steph Curry step-back 3-pointer to put Golden State up seven points, effectively ending the game.
Thompson was effusive with his praise for Curry’s shot-making ability, which helped the Warriors close out the game.
“There’s not many people in the league who can do that, he’s one of very few and he might be the only one actually, so we’re very grateful for Steph’s ability to close games and we’re all there to help him out when needed” Thompson told Keita.
With the win, the Warriors sit at 17-18 and have a half-game lead on the Los Angeles Lakers for the final Western Conference play-in spot, but they have a tough road ahead of them in a loaded Western Conference. In Paul’s absence, younger players such as Moses Moody and Jonathan Kuminga will need to step up if the Warriors are to remain in playoff contention.
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