What we learned as Klay erupts for 41 as Dubs secure No. 3 seed originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
NEW ORLEANS — The Warriors took care of business Sunday night against the New Orleans Pelicans at Smoothie King Center with a blowout 128-107 win, ending the regular season on a five-game win streak to finish as the three seed in the NBA playoffs.
Next up, a date with the Denver Nuggets in the first round.
Though they were getting bullied on the boards at first, the Warriors had the ball swinging around the court right away and Klay Thompson couldn’t miss. He scored 10 of Golden State’s first 12 points and went into halftime with 21 to his name.
This was far from a one-man show, too. The Warriors shot 60 percent from the field, 58 percent from deep and handed out 32 assists. That’s exactly how they wanted to close out the regular season.
Here are three takeaways from the Warriors dominating their regular-season finale to finish with a 53-29 record, good for the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference going into the NBA playoffs.
Klay Day
Thompson entered Sunday night needing 29 points or more to average at least 20 points on the season. And it looked like he knew it, too.
Right from the start, Thompson found his rhythm, had his feet under and was in total control. He didn’t stop after his hot start and went off in the fourth quarter as the Pelicans tried to crawl back. Just like that, he scored 13 straight points in the fourth quarter and totaled 15 for the frame
In fact, 20-point Klay again turned into 30-point Klay and then 40-point Klay.
He scored a season-high 41 points over 31 minutes while going 16-for-29 from the field and 7-for-14 from 3-point range. This is his third straight game of putting up at least 30 points, tying a career-high. Going into the playoffs, Thompson scored a total of 110 points.
That’s a dream come true after what he had to suffer for two-and-a-half years, and you could see how much this meant to him.
Poole Finds His Shot
One night after grinding his way to 18 points while going ice-cold from the field, Jordan Poole scored an efficient 22 points as he made seven of his 16 attempts and went 4-for-7 from the 3-point range. Just another day at the office for the breakout star.
Poole did have five turnovers and looked gassed at times, but this is a performance he can be proud of.
Now, the Poole Party comes to Chase Center and the playoffs for the first time.
The X-Factor
Jonathan Kuminga is must-see TV. We already knew that, as he has shown us all throughout his rookie. That doesn’t mean it isn’t fun to be reminded.
Kuminga gave the Warriors the spark they needed off the bench Saturday night in their win over the San Antonio Spurs.
That carried over to New Orleans, with another big night for the 19-year-old. He played 21 minutes, scored 18 points and was a plus-21 to lead the bench.
There will be mistakes, there will be eye-opening highlights. Whether it’s for the crowd or the team, it’s clear Kuminga is a game-changer in more than one way. It will be fascinating to see how Steve Kerr uses him in the playoffs, and just how much he trusts him.
Kerr said before Sunday night’s game that Kuminga didn’t needed to prove anything to him against the Spurs or Pelicans. Whether that’s true or not, Kuminga again made a strong case for more minutes in his first taste of the postseason.
