Golden State Warriors: 5 Takeaways From Game 5 vs. Thunder
4. Are The Splash Brothers Due?
Stephen Curry finished Game 5 with 31 points, seven rebounds, six assists and five steals on 9-of-20 shooting, putting him in some elite company, while Klay Thompson chipped in 27 points on 8-of-21 shooting. Curry and Thompson were a combined 19-of-20 from the line and combined for 19 of Golden State’s 39 fourth quarter points.
And yet…it still feels like we’re waiting for a vintage game from either of the Splash Brothers.
Keep in mind, Curry’s 31 points in Game 5 marked the first time in this series he’s reached his regular season scoring average (30.1 PPG). Thompson has played well in the last two games, but for the most part, he’s been quiet in this series as well.
Steph + Klay combined scoring average in G3 + G4 of #WARRIORSvTHUNDER
— NBA.com/Stats (@nbastats) May 27, 2016
43.5 PPG
Tonight in G5
58 points, 19/20 on FT's
The reason? The three-point shots just haven’t been falling in this series. OKC’s length has played a big role there, but for the most part, the Warriors are still getting enough open looks from three-point range — they’re just rushing them.
Through the first five games of the series, Curry has seen his three-point percentage dip from 45.4 percent in the regular season to 37.3 percent. Likewise, Thompson’s three-point efficiency has plummeted from 42.5 percent to 29.5 percent.
It’s just been downright uncharacteristic for the guy who made an NBA-record 402 threes this season, and for his backcourt partner who would own that very record if not for Curry’s existence.
This is the 10th playoff series of Stephen Curry's career. His teams have won at least one road game in each of the previous nine series.
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) May 27, 2016
In Game 5, it was a lot of the same. People will point to Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook going a combined 23-for-59 and say the Dubs should’ve won by a lot more, but the Splash Brothers missing 12 of their 17 three-pointers — many of them relatively wide open — is just as important.
Luckily for the Warriors, the Splash Brothers were magnificent inside the paint. They each got the line 10 times and they both went 6-for-12 on two-pointers (12-for-24 combined). That might not be enough to get the job done on the road though.
Is Curry due for a 40- or 50-point outing in a do-or-die game? Does Klay Thompson have another 15- or 25-point quarter in him somewhere? If the Warriors want to take Game 6, it might be time for that All-Star supernova of a backcourt to ignite itself from three-point range.
Next: No. 3