The Golden State Warriors returned home to Oracle Arena on Wednesday night with home-court advantage in hand after knocking off the Toronto Raptors in Game 2 of the 2019 NBA Finals. They were feeling confident, but then they made a tough decision right before tipoff.
Already missing Kevin Durant from the starting lineup, the Warriors decided moments before tipoff to sit Klay Thompson due to a hamstring strain he suffered in the Game 2 win. So not only were the Warriors missing Durant, but they were also missing one of the best shooters in the game in All-Star Thompson.
After dropping Game 3, 123-109, in a game where Stephen Curry dropped a career-playoff-high 47 points to go along with eight rebounds and seven assists, coach Steve Kerr says he expects Thompson to play in Game 4 on Friday.
The Warriors need to have Thompson back out there for Game 4. Not having Durant hurts enough, but not having Thompson, who not only is a great shooter but a great defender as well, makes matters much worse. The loss on Wednesday showed how important he is to this team.
Game 4 is on Friday at 9:00 p.m. ET from Oracle Arena in Oakland.
