2 min read • March 01, 2022
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Klay Thompson was ruled out for the Warriors' matchup with the Timberwolves on Tuesday night with an illness, his 2nd consecutive missed game.
Head coach Steve Kerr said before Sunday's embarrassing loss to the Mavericks that Thompson has been dealing with the symptoms for a couple of days, and they are hopeful he will be available during the 4-game road trip that starts in Minnesota.
Kerr inserted rookie Moses Moody into the starting lineup on Sunday, but Jordan Poole has also started 35 games in place of Thompson, including each of the first 28 games of the regular season.
Since his debut on Jan. 9 – which coincided with Draymond Green's last appearance for Golden State – the Warriors are 4-2 without Thompson, featuring a dominant 42-point win over the Bulls on Jan. 14 and a 26-point loss to the Jazz on Feb. 9.
The other 4 games were decided by an average of 3.5 points.
Without his splash brother, Stephen Curry has struggled since that Jan. 9 debut: In 5 games, Curry is averaging 19.4 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 6.4 assists, while shooting an abysmal 36.2% from the field, 27.8% from 3, and 70% from the free throw line.
Without Thompson to spread to floor and Green to help position shooters and lead cutters, defenses can put all attention on Curry and force him into either becoming a facilitator – he has dished out double-digit assists in 2 of those 5 games – or taking less-than-ideal shots.
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