Klay credits Pacific Ocean splash for busting early postseason slump
Klay Thompson lived up to his "Splash Brother" nickname both on and off the court over the weekend.
Thompson busted out of his early postseason slump by scoring 32 points - including six triples - in the Golden State Warriors' 113-105 Game 4 win over the Los Angeles Clippers at Staples Center on Sunday. The veteran sharpshooter credits a literal splash in the Pacific Ocean between Games 3 and 4 on Saturday for helping him shake off his shooting struggles.
"I told Jonas (Jerebko) - we went to the beach and played some volleyball - I'm like, 'Yo, I'm just going to jump in the ocean, and I just know that will reset my mind.' And it worked," Thompson told reporters postgame, including ESPN's Nick Friedell.
"I don't know if I'm going to jump (in the water) up north (in the Bay Area) because it's freezing, but it's something I'll definitely contemplate if I don't shoot the ball that well the rest of the year. But hopefully, that doesn't happen."
Thompson was averaging 13.7 points on 33.7 percent shooting from downtown through the first three games of the series - well below his regular-season averages of 21.5 and 40.2 percent, respectively.
But the All-Star guard came out firing against the Clippers, making his first seven shots. Thompson's breakout game was much needed considering that backcourt mate Stephen Curry was held to 12 points on 3-of-14 shooting Sunday.
Golden State has a chance to wrap things up against L.A. on Wednesday when the series shifts back to Oracle Arena.