Klay ties NBA playoff record for worst plus/minus in Game 5 originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
The Warriors trailed the Memphis Grizzlies by as many as 55 points in Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals on Wednesday night, but they did just enough in their 134-95 blowout loss to avoid landing in NBA annals for a record-breaking postseason defeat.
Unfortunately, Klay Thompson can’t say the same.
In 25 minutes, Thompson logged 19 points on 7-of-12 shooting and added three rebounds and four assists. Nothing jumps off the page there. What does, though, is Thompson’s plus/minus rating of minus-45.
Per Statmuse, Thompson’s minus-45 rating tied the record for the worst mark in an NBA playoff game since the league began tracking play-by-play data in 1996-97.
Thompson begrudgingly joins Andre Drummond at the top (or rather, bottom?) of the list. Drummond, who posted the minus-45 rating during the Milwaukee Bucks’ drubbing of his Detroit Pistons in 2019, is likely more than happy to slide over and share the record with Thompson.
To be fair to Thompson, nobody looks good in a 39-point loss. His fellow Splash Brother Steph Curry logged a minus-37 rating. Jordan Poole (minus-34), Draymond Green (minus-32) and Andrew Wiggins (minus-23) also were dealt ugly box scores. Ironically enough, Thompson was the Warriors’ top scorer on Wednesday.
Thompson’s previous career low in the playoffs was a minus-41 rating during Game 3 of the 2016 Western Conference Finals against Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Warriors lost that contest by 28 points.
Thompson will get a chance for redemption in Game 6 when the Warriors attempt to close out the series Friday night at Chase Center.
