Following an official report from ESPN stating Thompson would be active for Game 3, though uncertain to play, The Mercury News‘ Mark Medina reported that Thompson has been ruled out and will not play because the Warriors do not wish to risk worsening the injury in a Finals series that could reach seven games.
Earlier in the day, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported via Ramona Shelburne that Thompson had been pleading with the team’s officials to let him play tonight.
Thompson went through practice on Tuesday and said he was optimistic about his chances to play in Game 3. He said that if he felt even 80 percent he wanted to play, despite pinpointing specific moves that were still giving him trouble. The one caveat, however, was that he needed to be free of pain.
Things obviously didn’t tip in the Splash Brother’s favor.
This will be Thompson’s first missed playoff game of his career during the Warriors’ dynastic championship run. He started in all 120 of the Warriors’ prior postseason games during his time with the team.
Tipoff is at 9:00 p.m. ET from Oracle Arena in Oakland, Calif., on ABC.
