“You can’t talk dynasty when you haven’t won before.” — Klay Thompson's lesson for the Memphis Grizzlies
Klay Thompson
© Darren Yamashita - USA TODAY Sports
It was a Christmas Day classic between the Memphis Grizzlies and the Golden State Warriors. In a heated battle, war of words, and some contested gameplay, the Warriors came out on top to defeat the Grizzlies by a score of 123–109. The Warriors outperformed the Grizzlies in almost all departments as they shot 47.3% from the field, 40.9% from beyond the arc, and grabbed a whopping 51 rebounds to the Grizzlies' 44 in the contest.
Both units played with a lot of verve, and the crowd seemed to like the snippets of trash talk and the bucket relay that went on between the two sides. Ja Morant was the top scorer for the Grizzlies unit, as he registered 36 points, while Jordan Poole and Klay Thompson combined for 56 points for a Curry-less Warriors unit.
Klay fought fire with fire
Surely the Grizzlies were all hyped to face a team that became their nemesis last season, but Klay and Co. were all set to welcome Memphis to their home in what was already speculated to be a fiery contest. Ja had previously expressed his excitement and desire to avenge the loss to the Warriors in the Western Conference Semifinals last season and claimed that his teammates were ready to take down the defending champions.
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Midway through the game, Klay shot a three against Dillon Brooks, only to watch him get floored afterward. Klay taunted Brooks on his way back to the defensive zone and got a technical foul for that, but Thompson had his reasons, as before the game, Brooks had voiced his ability to guard Klay and eventually take the Warriors down. Klay didn't just respond with actions, he threw in a champion's message to the young one.
Not the first time for Klay
Since making an impactful return from injury, a player who hadn’t ever received a technical foul in his life has now garnered two of them this season. Klay had a verbal spat with Devin Booker and the Suns earlier in the season and has now turned his attention to Brooks.
Klay's competitive fire is often under-appreciated, but the Warriors will take it any day of the week. With Curry out and Draymond feeling his way back in, the Dubs need a spiritual leader. Seems like Klay Thompson is that guy.
