Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
Klay Thompson Returns to Atlanta for First Time Since 2018
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A lot has changed in three and a half years. Two full seasons, a pandemic, a bubble, and a presidential election have all occurred since Golden State Warriors shooting guard Klay Thompson last faced the Atlanta Hawks.
During that time, we have seen very little of Thompson. First, the human greenlight missed the 2019-20 season after tearing his ACL in the 2019 NBA Finals. Then things went from bad to worse when he ruptured his Achilles tendon just before the 2020-21 season, which resulted in another lost year of his prime.
Luckily for hoops fans worldwide, Thompson has finally returned to the court this season. He has played (and started) in 26 games, averaging 18 points on 52.6 TS%. While it's not Thompson's best work, he's clearly working all the rust off. So in honor of his valiant return to Atlanta, let's look back at his last game against the Hawks.
The date was December 3, 2018. The Warriors rolled into Philips Arena with a record of 16-9 thanks to their unstoppable lineup consisting of Thompson, Steph Curry, Draymond Green, and Kevin Durant.
Meanwhile, the Hawks were at the beginning of their rebuild. After starting the season 5-19, Coach Lloyd Pierce let three of his youngest players get big minutes against the NBA version of the Executor. Rookies Trae Young and Kevin Huerter both played over 25 minutes, while sophomore John Collins logged almost 30 minutes on the court.
After Durant and Curry combined for 28 points in the first quarter, it was Thompson's turn to take over the game. The perennial All-Star poured in 25 of his 27 points over the next three quarters.
Collins led the Hawks with 24 points and 11 rebounds. Young chipped in 20 points while shooting 0-5 from beyond the arc. Still, the youthful team stood no chance. The Hawks bench consisting of Jeremy Lin, Kent Bazemore, and Vince Carter were just as helpless on the court.
The Warriors easily won 57 regular season games before Durant and Thompson both suffered devastating injuries in the 2019 NBA Finals against the eventual champion Toronto Raptors. Durant bolted for Brooklyn a few months later, and the Warriors have since rebuilt another championship-contending team.
Meanwhile, the Hawks have built themselves up as a playoff contender thanks to the stellar play of Trae Young. Tonight the two teams face off for the first time since November 8, 2021. And Klay Thomson sees the Hawks for the first time in 1,208 days. Stay locked into Sports Illustrated's AllHawks.com for breaking news, highlights, and analysis.
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