Warriors’ Klay Thompson scores NBA-record 37 points in quarter
OAKLAND, Calif. – The sellout crowd chanted Klay Thompson’s name. Both benches stood, equally stunned at what was taking place. Thompson’s teammates just continued to get him open – and get him the ball.
“They just kept wanting to see the show. That’s what they kept telling me,” Thompson said.
Thompson, a former Washington State star, set a league record for the most points in a quarter Friday night, a thrilling 37-point third period that powered the Golden State Warriors to a 126-101 victory over the Sacramento Kings.
He kept shooting. The ball kept going in. And by the time it was all over, Thompson had turned in a performance unlike any other in NBA history.
“I was one of the luckiest NBA players ever to play with Michael Jordan, Tim Duncan, David Robinson and some of the greatest players ever,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “As many spectacular things as Michael did, which he did nightly, I never saw him do that.”
Thompson finished with a career-high 52 points, pleasing 19,596 fans at rowdy Oracle Arena. The All-Star hopeful made all 13 shots, including a league-record nine from 3-point range in a quarter, and hit both of his free throws during a 12-minute span of pure basketball bliss.
“It was crazy. I don’t even know what happened,” Thompson said.
His streaky shooting stroke helped the Warriors (35-6) erase a sloppy showing in the middle of the game for its franchise-best 18th consecutive home victory. Golden State became the 10th team to win at least 35 games halfway through a season.
Thompson surpassed the 33-point mark set by George Gervin in 1978 and matched by Carmelo Anthony in 2008 for the most points in a quarter. Michael Redd and Joe Johnson shared the previous mark for most 3s in a quarter with eight.
A day after backcourt teammate Stephen Curry received the most votes for the All-Star game and Kerr learned he would lead the Western Conference in the showcase game, Thompson let the world know he expects to be right next to them at Madison Square Garden on Feb. 15.
“You always dream about it, being a big-time scorer and a big-time player. It’s crazy it’s reality,” said Thompson, who finished 16 of 25 from the floor.