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The Golden State Warriors will play their final game of the year on December 31, 2021.
The NBAE via a photo.
The Golden State Warriors-Denver Nuggets game was postponed on Thursday.
Klay Thompson scrimmaged with the team's starters, including Stephen Curry, for the first time since the NBA Finals, which is a great sign that he's nearing a return.
Con_ chron is followed by Connor Letourneau.
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Steve Kerr made it clear that Klay Thompson will start right away.
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Thompson tore his knee in the playoffs and hasn't played in an NBA game since. He would have returned for the 2020-21 season, but he tore his Achilles in the off season.
The Athletic and Stadium's Shams Charania recently said that a January 9 home game against the Cleveland Cavaliers could be a realistic target for Thompson's return to the court. Golden State's next home game is in January.
Thompson's return date could be extended to the 18th. He believes that the 31 year old will return sooner than later, as he has been physically and mentally ready.
Thompson could have come back before Christmas, but the Warriors were holding the best record in the NBA and they wanted to wait until he was 100 percent healthy and in shape.
He could have played before Christmas, but the way the Warriors brought him back made sure he was able to play at a peak level. He was doing scrimmages with the Santa Cruz Warriors and they wanted to make sure he was going full speed for 12 consecutive minutes or 10 consecutive minutes, because that's the amount of time he might play on any given game.
I don't think throwing him out there and making him play for 10 minutes straight is a good idea, but just being able to get his body to that peak shape was very important for the Warriors process.
Thompson is eager to return. He said during a broadcast last month that he misses being away from the court and that his story is still being written.
Thompson averaged 21.5 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists while shooting 46.7% from the field and 40% from deep in 78 games.
The Warriors, who are tied for the best record in the NBA at 27-7, have been carried by Curry while getting a scoring lift from Andrew Wiggins and Jordan Poole through the first half of the season. Curry leads the team with 27.7 points per game, while Wiggins and Poole are close behind with 18.6 and 17.9 points per game, respectively.
Golden State's success has been aided by Draymond Green and Kevon Looney. Green leads the team in a number of categories, while Looney is a key part of the team.
