The Golden State Warriors destroyed the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday, and Klay Thompson came close to surpassing his single-game three-pointer record. However, he ultimately settled for 42 points.
Thompson, a long-range shooting expert, made 12 attempts from beyond the arc in a masterful shooting display to lead the Warriors to a 141-114 victory.
The Warriors Chase Center crowd cheered Thompson as he left the game just short of his own NBA record of 14 three-pointers in a single game, established in October 2018.
Thompson's scorching shooting was a part of Golden State's incredible three-point shooting display.
The Warriors concluded the game with 26 three-pointers out of 50 tries, falling just three short of the Milwaukee Bucks' record of 29 for a single game set in 2020.
Jordan Poole (21 points, 12 assists, four rebounds), Andrew Wiggins (18 points), and Klay Thompson all contributed to the Warriors' convincing victory despite Steph Curry's injury absence.
After the game, Thompson acknowledged he had hoped to continue playing until Warriors coach Steve Kerr replaced him late in the fourth quarter.
Thompson said that I was advocating for it, but we have a Wednesday game and a short turnaround.
And I don't believe the basketball gods approve of setting records. Gotta let those develop naturally," he continued.
The hot Milwaukee Bucks won their eighth straight game in Portland, pulling even with Boston for first place in the Eastern Conference.
Giannis Antetokounmpo and Brook Lopez combined for 127 points as the Bucks defeated the Trail Blazers 108-108.
With 28 points, Damian Lillard led Portland in scoring.
With a 111-99 victory over the Pistons in Detroit, the Boston Celtics solidified their hold on first place in the Eastern Conference. Jayson Tatum led the way with 34 points.
The Celtics advanced to 38-16 at the top of the East behind Tatum, generating upwards of 30 points per contest this year. Tatum additionally added 11 rebounds and six assists.
Derrick White provided scoring support for Tatum with 23 points. At the same time, Sam Hauser and Robert Williams III contributed 15 off the bench as Boston recovered from last Friday's unexpected loss to Phoenix.
– Tatum "wakes up," says Boston's star. Tatum had trouble in the loss against Phoenix, making only 3-of-15 field goal attempts.
Tatum's terrible performance against Detroit in the first half, when he shot just 3-for-13, appeared to be troubling him.
However, Tatum picked up the pace in the third quarter, scoring 18 points to lead Boston to victory.
After the victory, he admitted to NBC Sports, "I only had to gradually awaken."
"I had to get going because I got off to a poor start.
On the other hand, Tatum was thrilled that Boston seemed to have recovered from a recent slump in which they had dropped four of their previous six games.
He stated, "Recently, we haven't been playing as well as we'd like to.
I had to respond, remember the objective, and continue to work for it.
On Monday, the Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Washington Wizards 114-91 in a game they controlled from beginning to end.
Cleveland's starters reached double-digit scoring totals, and the Cavaliers' well-rounded offence proved too much for Washington.
Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen scored 23 points to close the game, while Donovan Mitchell added 21.
While this was happening, Brooklyn's Nets player Cam Thomas exploded for 47 points, but it wasn't enough to stop the home team from losing to the visiting Los Angeles Clippers 124-116.
With a total of 21 points, including seven three-pointers, Thomas led the scoring for Brooklyn, but the Clippers outclassed them with a team in excellent shape at the appropriate time.
Veteran Paul George scored 29 points for the Clippers, and Kawhi Leonard added 24.
For Los Angeles, who are fourth in the Western Conference, Ivica Zubac contributed 19 points and 12 rebounds.
