On Wednesday night, Klay Thompson and the Golden State Warriors blew a four-point lead with 13.3 seconds left on the Utah Jazz. This happened after the team overcame a 12-point deficit in the third quarter at Vivint Arena.
However, what appeared to be Golden State’s 14th win of the season turned out to be the team’s 13th straight loss. With 13 seconds left, Utah’s Kelly Olynyk pulled the ball off Nikkeil Alexander-Walker and passed the ball to Malik Beasley. The Jazz guard drove to the rim, and Thompson lost sight of him after that.
According to several NBA betting sites, the Warriors are the Western Conference favorites to win the championship in 2023. However, a few sportsbooks still show high odds for the Los Angeles Clippers.
Klay Thompson calls leaving Malik Beasley open for 3 ‘terrible mistake’ in Warriors loss https://t.co/AWZTjbrwwH
— East Bay Times (@EastBayTimes) December 8, 2022
Beasley was alone in the right corner after joining Klay Thompson. Beasley knocked down a clutch three-pointer with 7.8 seconds left to bring the score within one point.
“I’m sleeping now,” Thompson said after the loss. “I watched the ball handler get to the rim instead of sticking to the three-point shooter. That was a huge mistake on my part.”
Warriors star Klay Thompson lost sight of Malik Beasley before the Utah guard made a stunning three-pointer.
In the end, Golden State lost 124-123. Stephen Curry and Draymond Green did not play in this match. Jordan Poole led the Warriors with 36 points on 10-of-23 (43.5%) shooting from the field. Poole scored a season high. Also, he shot 4-of-13 (30.8%) downtown.
Thompson finished the tournament with 22 points, two rebounds, three assists, one steal and three blocks in 36 minutes. He finished 8 of 25 (32%) from the floor and 4 of 11 (36.4%) from downtown.
“We should have won the game,” added Jonathan Kuminga. “Just things that happen. The NBA is crazy because out of 82 games, there’s always a game like this where you ask yourself, ‘What just happened?’ you ask.”
Although Golden State held a four-point lead late in the fourth quarter, they completely dominated the game. Utah beat the Warriors 60-50 in the key. The Jazz also shot 46-of-86 (53.5%) from the field.
“You’ve got to shut down. You’ve got to be strong on the ball. You’ve got to be smart defensively. We weren’t any of those things in the last 13 seconds,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said in a postgame interview.
Without Curry and Green, one could argue that Golden State is one of the worst teams in the West right now. With both players starting, the Warriors have been nothing more than an average team this season. This playing time is subject to change. A lot of basketball remains to be played.
