Klay cherishes playoff game in hometown despite Dubs’ loss originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
It wasn’t the homecoming performance and result Klay Thompson had envisioned when he played an NBA playoff contest in his hometown of Los Angeles on Saturday night.
Although the Warriors fell 127-97 in Game 3 to the Los Angeles Lakers in their Western Conference semifinals matchup at Crypto.com Arena, Thompson still cherished the moment playing in front of friends and family.
“Despite the outcome, it was great,” Thompson told reporters postgame. “Despite my performance, it’s still an awesome thing for me to do. I mean, I get to go see my mom and dad right now, my nephew and my brother, and still something I don’t take for granted.”
While Thompson noted that he appreciates playing in front of those close to him, regardless of the outcome, he made it clear that he intends to enjoy Game 4 more because he anticipates the Warriors and himself will respond to even the series 2-2.
The Warriors star finished with just 15 points in 33 minutes, so Thompson, who wants to honor the late Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gigi while playing a playoff series in Los Angeles, might expect more from himself.
“I’ll enjoy it even more Monday because I’m looking forward to a bounce-back performance not only for myself but the whole team,” Thompson continued. “So this one stings, but we don’t have a lot of time to dwell on it because we know we have a great opportunity ahead of us on Monday.”
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Golden State will attempt to avoid going down 3-1 in the series on Monday at Crypto.com Arena before the series shifts back to the Bay.
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