Klay Thompson rips Grizzlies with 26-point second quarter

The record set by Klay Thompson’s 37-point quarter against the Kings earlier this season may never be touched. For a brief moment on Monday, though, it looked as though Thompson might make a run at his own historic mark, just for the heck of it. 

Thompson’s streak began with an ordinary, catch-and-shoot three-pointer, the very kind Warriors fans have seen in incredible volume this season. As the Grizzlies tilted toward denying him on the perimeter, Thompson cut through the paint for a series of runners. Then came another three, and another, and another. Grizzlies coach Dave Joerger called a timeout to patch up his team’s leaky defense, but his efforts were futile. Thompson picked up after the break to notch another five points, totaling 26 in the second quarter alone. The Grizzlies only scored 25 in the frame.

At one point, Thompson scored 23 straight points for the Warriors without a single free throw. He notched 11 points in one 89-second span—the flurry that forced Memphis into its desperate timeout. In all, Thompson ended the quarter with 10-of-13 shooting overall and 6-of-7 shooting from beyond the arc. With those six long-range makes in the second quarter, Thompson eclipsed Memphis’ five made three-pointers in the entire game. That kind of shooting makes for a particularly verdant shot chart:

He never quite made it to 37 this time around, and in all likelihood never will again. But burying one of the better teams in the West during the second quarter is an accomplishment in itself for Thompson – if not of the same historic proportions.

Golden State won its 66th game of the year, holding off a furious Memphis rally, 111-107.