West Notes: Warriors, Klay Thompson, Timberwolves, Jazz

Warriors

Shooting guard Klay Thompson came off the bench for the first time since his rookie season, and hey, it went well. Thompson finished with a season-high 35 points as the Warriors held off the Jazz by a 140-137 count.

“Coming off the bench gave me fresh legs, especially on a back-to-back, that was nice to come in with a fresh, clean slate,” Thompson said, via Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area.

Coach Steve Kerr indicated the decision to bring Thompson off the bench is something they discussed.

“I’ve been thinking about it, decided to do it (Thursday) and talked to Klay this morning,” Kerr said. “I thought he handled everything beautifully.”

• In the process, Thompson became the sixth Golden State player to surpass 15,000 career points. “You can do two things: You can pout or you can go out there and respond,” he said. “I thought I did the latter very well tonight.”
• And don’t look now, but the Warriors are heading into the All-Star break with a winning record (27-26). “It’s been a tricky season for him and for us,” Kerr said of Thompson. “It’s not as easy to do what Klay did five or six years ago for him. I think this could be a good balance to get the best out of Klay and to get the best out of our team.”

Timberwolves

The Timberwolves have won 20 games on the road already this season — the only team in the Western Conference to have done so.

“The goal is to win a championship and you know, a lot of people doubt us, and don’t believe in us, and that’s the beauty of it, too,” center Rudy Gobert told reporters after Thursday’s road win over the Trail Blazers. “We believe in ourselves, believe in one another and we truly believe we can write our own story.”

• The Wolves wrapped up a five-game trip entering the All-Star break. Afterward, they get a seven-game homestand. “It feels like we’ve been on the road a lot, it really has,” coach Chris Finch said. “But when you play defense, and you’re committed to defense and the guys like to play every night, being on the road is not a daunting thing.”

Jazz

• Guard Collin Sexton erupted for 35 points and nine assists but missed a game-tying 3-pointer in the Jazz’s 140-137 loss to the Warriors on Thursday. Utah battled back from a 19-point deficit to give itself a chance.
• Rookie guard Keyonte George scored a season-high 33 points, burying nine threes along the way.
• The Jazz enter the break as losers of four straight, including three straight at home. “Always tough to lose a close one,” forward Lauri Markkanen told reporters. “We’ve got a lot of work to do as a team and individually.”
• Still, this game could offer some glimpses of hope, wrote Sarah Todd of the Deseret News. “The vibes in the locker room were bad, the players seemed frustrated with the trade deadline moves made by the front office and the losses were not helping anything,” Todd wrote of the Jazz entering Thursday.