Klay Thompson Makes His Intentions Clear As Stephen Curry And The Miami Heat Star Prepare For Highly Anticipated Reunion

Klay Thompson is ready to face Stephen Curry and the Warriors© Instagram/ klaythompson

Klay Thompson hit a game-winning three in overtime on Wednesday night to lift the Miami Heat past the Clippers 117-116. He had little time to enjoy it. Thursday brings a trip to Chase Center, where Thompson will face Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors for the first time as a member of the Heat. In the walk-off interview, Thompson already had the matchup in mind. “It's fun to beat up on old friends,” he said. The Warriors have won five straight, and Miami is looking for a second straight win of its own.

What Is Klay Thompson Saying Ahead Of The Warriors Reunion?

Thompson has made plenty of shots inside Chase Center, and his comments after the Clippers game suggest he plans to add a few more. "Hopefully I can continue to stay afloat because I made a lot of buckets in that building. It's fun to beat up on old friends, so that would be awesome to come away with a back-to-back win," Thompson said.

The 36-year-old guard arrives in form. Over the past three games, Thompson is averaging 24.7 points, 2.3 assists and 2.0 rebounds while shooting 57.4% from the field and 52.8% from three. He scored 30 against the Clippers.

The winner was the first of its kind for him. After more than 900 games and close to 3,000 made threes, Thompson finally has a game-winner, in year 16 of a career that has him named the fourth-best shooter in history.

Team results follow Thompson's output. In the Heat's three wins, he is averaging just under 20 points and hitting five threes a game. In the losses, that drops to 11 points.

Can Thompson And The Heat Beat The Warriors' Defense?

The Warriors will make it hard. Golden State has the third-best defense in the league with a 103.5 rating and ranks in the top 10 in three-point defense. The team also knows Thompson's tendencies well.

Miami has the opposite profile. The Heat play at the league's best pace and rank second in offensive rating, yet they sit in the bottom half in threes made and three-point percentage. Thursday works as a clean test of whether they can create looks from deep against a tough defense.

One answer is the two-man game with Bam Adebayo. Thompson said Adebayo's screen freed him for the winner against the Clippers. The pair has started to find a rhythm, and dribble handoffs could give the Heat a go-to play while the offense searches for chemistry. Playoff opponents would scout it closely, but in the regular season it can help.