Steve Kerr predicted Klay Thompson would explode just days before his record-breaking 3-point barrage
- Klay Thompson - who makes up one half of the Golden State Warriors' "Splash Brothers" tandem alongside two-time MVP Stephen Curry - erupted for 52 points and a record-breaking 14 three-pointers against the Chicago Bulls Monday night.
- Before Monday's contest, Thompson had shot just 13.9 percent from beyond the arc on the season.
- Golden State head coach Steve Kerr predicted that Thompson would break out of his shooting slump in glamorous fashion, telling reporters "it's going to happen" after the Warriors' Friday night matchup against the New York Knicks.
The Golden State Warriors kicked off the season with an impressive 6-1 start, but one of its star shooters was struggling to keep up.
Four-time NBA All-Star Klay Thompson - who makes up one half of Golden State's "Splash Brothers" tandem alongside two-time MVP Stephen Curry - began the 2018-19 campaign shooting 5-for-36 from three-point range. Given that Thompson shot a career-best 44 percent from beyond the arc last season, his slump was rightfully cause for concern for Warriors fans and insiders alike.
But Golden State head coach Steve Kerr wasn't worried. He knew it was just a matter of time before the typically sharpshooting guard found his groove.
"Inevitably the dam will break and he'll start going nuts again," Kerr told the media Saturday in New York City. "It'll come. I know he's frustrated. He's probably his own biggest critic, so he'll get it going and we'll try to help him as best we can."
He was right.
On Monday night, Thompson erupted for 52 points and drained 14 treys in Golden State's absolute rout of the Chicago Bulls. He also broke the single-game three-point record, which Curry set with 13 made threes against the New Orleans Pelicans early in the 2016-17 season.
The Warriors held a commanding 40-point lead when Thompson stepped off the court for the night. He went 18-for-29 through just 26 minutes of play. His 10 three-pointers tied Chandler Parson's 2014 record for most threes in a half and set a record for most ever in a first half. Thompson finished the first 20 minutes with just one point less than all five of Chicago's starters combined, leaving the Bulls with little choice but to duck and cover through the onslaught:
For his part, Thompson had just as much confidence as Kerr that he would have a breakout game soon.
"I just knew I was due for a big night," Thompson told ESPN's Nick Friedell. "I just knew it."
"It's the best feeling," Thompson said. "Something I haven't felt in the first six, seven games. To snap out of a slump with the record, I couldn't ask for a better way to do it. And I'm just going to continue this momentum on Wednesday, and it's one of the best feelings in basketball when you touch the ball and feel like it's going in every time."