OAKLAND -- Klay Thompson got dressed, found a to-go box for his postgame meal and sauntered out of the Warriors locker room.
Warriors PR caught up with Thompson a few feet down the tunnel, requesting an about face back to the interview room. The All-Star guard wasn’t feeling it, but didn’t bristle.
He simply wasn’t compelled to elaborate on his role in Tuesday’s 115-108 victory over the Utah Jazz at Oracle Arena.
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SIGN UP HERE Thompson finished the game with 22 points on 9-of-14 shooting, including 3-of-5 from deep. He smothered Jazz star Donovan Mitchell when asked.
Ho-hum.
He did most of that damage after dislocating his left ring finger midway through the first quarter.
No big deal.
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Thompson simply popped the digit back in place and kept on playing with an even keel. That’s not unusual for Thompson, one tough hombre who doesn’t like missing time, even in suboptimal health.
“His availability every single night is one of his best attributes as an NBA player,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “It’s incredibly valuable to have a guy you know you can count on every single night. Even on nights where he gets banged up, he seems to shake it off and come right back.”
Thompson was 1-of-3 before the injury, and 8-of-11 after that. The injury was so inconsequential, in fact, that Thompson will be available to play Thursday night at Portland.
“I didn’t see any ill effects of the injury,” Kerr said. “He did his usual job just playing defense. I thought he did a great job on Mitchell. Mitchell got going there for a while, but Klay put a lot of pressure on him.
“And going 9-for-14 from the field, it was a typical Klay Thompson game, with him playing well on both ends.”
That’s standard operating procedure for the Warriors’ steadiest hand and most unassuming superstar. All’s well that ends well for Thompson, who paid his finger dislocation and the performance that surrounded it no mind, went home to get travel-ready despite the Warriors leaving for Portland later Tuesday night.
There was some initial concern with Thompson’s digit, which bent the wrong way after jockeying with Mitchell.
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“I saw the reaction. I didn’t see the play, but I saw when he looked down and you know what that look is,” point guard Steph Curry said. “For guys who have been through that, it’s just one glance and you know something’s up. Thankfully it wasn’t broken, and obviously he got back out there and really didn’t miss a beat. It was great to see.”