Klay Thompson gives another reason why he is one of the elite shooters in basketball history as he passes Hall of Fame guard Ray Allen for the third on the NBA Playoffs all-time 3-pointers list as the Golden State Warriors beat the Denver Nuggets in Thursday's Game 3.
The sharpshooting guard/forward scored 26 points, including 6-for-13 (46.2 %) from outside the arc. With his fourth make of the night, Thompson (388 total playoff three-pointers made) passed Allen (385). Only LeBron James (432 points) and Stephen Curry (432 points) are ahead of him (481), according to a report on NBA's official website.
Thompson was sidelined for two seasons as he suffered a torn ACL during the 2019 Finals, followed by a torn Achilles tendon. The five-time All-Star made his comeback in January this season.
The Old Klay Thompson Is Back
In the recent games, Thompson's performance indicates that he is back to his former form. Together with his "Splash Brother" Stephen Curry, they bolster up the Warriors' offensive performance-- like in those times when they captured their three NBA championships.
Despite playing on the Nuggets' home court, Thompson's shooting was almost unstoppable in Thursday night's game.
"That was a ton of fun and just a gutsy win by our squad," Thompson said.
Congrats to @KlayThompson of the @warriors for moving up to 3rd on the All-Time Playoff 3-Pointers Made list! #NBA75 pic.twitter.com/MI4UOSvPzC
— NBA (@NBA) April 22, 2022
With a 118-113 victory over the Nuggets on Thursday night, the Warriors took a 3-0 lead in their first-round match-up.
While Thompson was making history, Curry was extending his record for 3-point shooting. Curry scored 27 points in Game 3 and went 3-for-9 from 3-point range, giving him 115 consecutive postseason games with at least one 3-pointer, per Sports Illustrated.
The victory also put Warriors coach Steve Kerr above Hall of Famer Rick Adelman and into a tie with George Karl and Lenny Wilkens for the most playoff wins in NBA history.
From Splash Brothers To Splash Triplets
The Golden State Warriors have reclaimed their standing as a championship contender in the NBA amid a strong Western Conference this season. But the biggest surprise of this year's team is that The Splash Brothers have morphed into The Splash Triplets in the last week, with Jordan Poole allowing Golden State a triple-threat of guards capable of blowing up the scoreboard every game.
Poole has scored 30, 29, and 27 points in his first three postseason games, establishing himself as a legitimate third Splash Brother for the Warriors. In the first minutes of the game, Poole set the tone by scoring a 3-pointer and driving to the hoop, drawing a three-point play, per CBS Sports.
The 22-year-old guard does not only contribute his extraordinary shooting but also provides the quickness and athleticism that the aging Warriors team needs.
Moreover, forward Draymond Green continues to prove to everyone that he is still among the league's best defensive players. He was able to slow down Nuggets' superstar center Nikola Jokic during the crunch time of Thursday's game.
The Warriors are targeting to close the series with a sweep on Sunday afternoon. Though it will be a colossal challenge for the Nuggets to prevent that from happening, given the injuries of some key players, Denver has proven several times that it can pull off big comeback wins, especially in the playoffs.
