Golden State Warriors: 3 takeaways from Game 3 of 2019 NBA Finals

2. Nobody present to defend Kyle Lowry

Aside from his otherworldly abilities as one of the greatest outside snipers in league history, Klay Thompson has made a name for himself by slowing down some of the game’s best perimeter players.

He’s not overly athletic, nor does he overpower the opposition with brute strength. Klay simply possesses incredible lateral quickness that allows him to stay in front of even the quickest of point guards, a challenge the All-Defensive Team member happily accepts on a nightly basis.

Without Thompson, Golden State had no answers for All-Star floor general Kyle Lowry. His 23 points came on an efficient 8-of-16 shooting along with nine assists and just three turnovers. He was a +14 in a team-high 43 minutes of action, which tied for the second-best mark of the game.

Curry is a much better defender than he’s been given credit for over the years, but his frail frame is no match for Lowry’s bulldog style of play. Even if it was, asking him to exert that much energy at both ends of the floor doesn’t seem very realistic for a guy who just scored 47 points in a double-digit loss.

If Klay remains out, the assignment will fall on a number of different players who will likely get their own crack to slow down Lowry for possessions at a time. None on the roster, however, seems capable of doing it consistently, making it all the more imperative Thompson gets back on the court to help slow down the engine to Toronto’s offense.