Golden State Warriors shooting guard Klay Thompson, who left Game 2 of the NBA Finals versus the Toronto Raptors with left hamstring tightness and did not return, told Rachel Nichols of ESPN and Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports he thinks he will be good to go for Game 3 on Wednesday.
“No, I don’t see myself missing Game 3,” Thompson told Haynes.
The shooting guard told Nichols the same thing but also noted this injury is not as bad as the high ankle sprain suffered during last year’s NBA Finals, which did not cause him to miss a game.
Thompson posted 25 points on 10-of-17 shooting, five assists and five rebounds in the Warriors’ 109-104 win, which tied the series at one game apiece.
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr also provided postgame comments to reporters regarding Thompson.
“Klay said he’d be fine, but he could be half-dead and he’d say he’s fine,” Kerr said. He pulled his hamstring and he thinks it’s minor—we’ll see.”
Thompson left the game with 7:59 remaining in the fourth quarter, and backup guard Quinn Cook took his spot down the stretch. The former Duke star scored nine points on a trio of three-pointers in 21 minutes Sunday.
Cook could get the nod in Game 3 if Thompson is unable to go, but the Warriors’ starter will have time to rest before the next NBA Finals matchup on Wednesday at 9 p.m. ET.
Golden State has had terrible luck with injuries of late.
Kevin Durant has been out for seven full postseason games with a strained right calf. DeMarcus Cousins sat 14 games with a quad injury before returning for the NBA Finals.
Andre Iguodala dealt with left calf tightness and missed Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals. He seemed to suffer an aggravation of that injury in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, which forced him to miss the final 1:19.
He returned for Game 2, but then forward/center Kevon Looney suffered a left chest contusion and played only 10 first-half minutes before leaving for good.
Regardless of the team’s current injury state, the Warriors are 5.5-point Game 3 favorites, per Caesars Palace.
Courtesy: Bleacher Report
