The Warriors were 9-2 heading into Friday's matchup with the Celtics in Boston, but there still were questions about the reigning Western Conference champs.
Many of those questions revolved around Klay Thompson. The two-time All-Star has often looked out of place and off-rhythm as the team integrates Kevin Durant to its already-potent offense.
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Thompson and the Warriors showed the Celtics just how dangerous they can be when Thompson is at his best. He scored a team-high 28 points in Golden State's 104-88 victory.
The Warriors were especially dominant in the third quarter, outscoring the Celtics 31-9 to effectively put the game out of reach. Durant finished with 23 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists, showing both he and Thompson can have good scoring nights at the same time.
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“It’s nice when you have another MVP on the roster,” Thompson said after the game. “He makes it better for me any everybody else. I get a lot of open looks.”
The other two members of the Warriors' Big Four, Stephen Curry (16 points) and Draymond Green (11 points), didn’t have big scoring numbers. As Thompson noted, though, this group is far from being a finished product.
“Obviously some big adjustments (are being made),” Thompson said. “Our chemistry is still getting better every game.”
And the rest of the NBA trembles in fear.
Stud of the Night
Another night, another triple-double for Russell Westbrook. The Thunder guard put up 30 points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds as his team came away with an easy 124-105 win over the Nets.
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Dud of the Night
The Detroit Pistons as a team couldn’t find its shot Friday. The Pistons shot just 31.2 percent from the field as they suffered a 104-81 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Tweet of the Night
Anthony Davis was huge for the Pelicans in their 113-101 victory over the Trail Blazers. He had 38 points to go with nine rebounds, six assists and four blocks. And then this cute moment with Jrue Holiday in Holiday's first game back after helping his wife, soccer star Lauren Holiday, recover from brain surgery.
😂 Bros 😂@Jrue_Holiday11 @AntDavis23 #Pelicans pic.twitter.com/IMh8XJCVLE
— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) November 19, 2016
Looking ahead
Bulls (8-4) at Clippers (11-2) 10:30 p.m. ET: The new-look Bulls appear to be clicking, having won four games in a row. They’ll face a Clippers team that turned some heads this season getting off to a 10-1 start. They rebounded from a loss to the Grizzlies with a win Friday night over the Kings.