Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images
Klay Thompson is gone, but the Warriors are still an elite shooting team.
The Golden State Warriors won’t feel the same this year without Klay Thompson around. Thompson signed a deal with the Dallas Mavericks in NBA free agency over the ending, ending a legendary partnership with Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and Steve Kerr that helped produce four NBA championships. The Warriors had a busy offseason, trying and failing to acquire Paul George and Lauri Markkanen, but rebounding with smaller deals to bring on Buddy Hield, De’Anthony Melton, and Kyle Anderson.
On Wednesday, the Warriors took the floor for the first time since Thompson signed in Dallas, and guess what: even without one half of the “Splash Brothers,” Golden State still looked absolutely terrifying from three-point range.
The Warriors opened the preseason on Wednesday night by knocking off the Sacramento Kings, 122-112. Golden State did it by knocking down 28 three-pointers — a number that sets the franchise record and would be among the most ever in a game …. if this wasn’t in the preseason.
The Warriors shot 28-of-52 from three-point range. Curry went 3-of-6 from deep in 16 minutes, and his teammates took it from there. This is only one off the Milwaukee Bucks’ NBA record of 29 made threes in a game, set in 2020 without fans in the stands, when everyone’s shooting numbers seemed to be better.
What a wild shooting display from the Warriors. Watch every make here:
The Warriors set their franchise record with 27 made threes in an April game against the Portland Trail Blazers in 2023 where they dropped 157 points. Thompson had six made threes in that game. To hit even more threes in the first game without Thompson is undeniably impressive … even if it’s in the preseason.
Jonathan Kuminga making 4-of-7 threes is highly encouraging for the Warriors, after he hit only 32 percent of his triples last year. He’s going to have to shoot like that if Golden State’s starting lineup from Wednesday night — Kuminga with Green and Kevon Looney — is going to work. It was also nice to see Brandin Podziemski, the second-year player poised to take Thompson’s spot in the lineup, hit 2-of-4 from three.
The new free agent signings did work, too. Buddy Hield ripped 6-of-7 thees in this game, and Melton hit 4-of-9. Hield often seems to get off to hot starts with his new team when he changes organizations, so we’ll see how this plays out.
What a game for the Warriors. The Kings defense will likely be very bad this year, but who cares. It’s only preseason, but the team has to feel good seeing the squad shoot like this.
