What do Klay Thompson, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Andre Iguodala and Stephen Curry have in common? They each knocked down a 3-pointer in the third quarter of Thursday’s 127-107 win over the Pistons.
GAME LEADERS
The Dubs got hot in the third quarter and what was a two-point game at the half turned into a laugher behind a 41-point third quarter in which the Dubs shot 8-for-12 on 3-pointers. It was the Dubs’ NBA-best ninth quarter with at least 40 points this season, and it continued a budding trend for the Dubs. Over their last seven games, the Warriors have out-scored their opponents by 11.8 points in the third quarter alone, and on Thursday they nearly doubled that.
Klay Thompson started the third quarter splash party, knocking down three 3-pointers and playing a key role in the 33-12 run to end the quarter. Thompson had 12 of his 23 points in the period, and he combined with Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry for 72 points in the game. The Dubs shot 56.2 percent from the floor, went 15-for-29 from distance and had 39 assists on 50 made shots, including two in a span of eight seconds on a pair of Ian Clark 3-pointers at the end of the first quarter.
Durant was 10-for-15 from the floor with a game-high 25 points and nine assists, while Stephen Curry had 24 points and was a plus-32 in 30 minutes of action. Curry, Thompson and Durant had 17, 15, and 15 shots, respectively, proving once again that there was plenty of ball to go around, and perhaps that trio could thank Draymond Green for that.
Green didn’t make a shot, but he certainly impacted the game with his 13 assists and nine rebounds.
The Warriors had it going for so long that it’s hard to believe that the game started out as a back-and-forth affair. Prior to Thursday’s game, the Dubs’ season-high for lead changes in a game was 18, coincidentally enough against the Pistons last month in Detroit. And on Thursday, they passed that in the first half. In total, there were 21 lead changes in this one, all in the first half.
The Dubs made sure there wouldn’t be a 22nd lead change, as they took complete control of the game in the third quarter. Now winners of three straight and 34-6 on the season, the Dubs will enjoy three days off before returning to action for an MLK Day showdown against the Cavaliers ( Find Tickets) on Monday.