Klay Thompson was benched by head coach Steve Kerr in the Golden State Warriors’ loss to the Phoenix Suns.
Thompson was taken out at the 6:19 mark of the fourth quarter and never got back into the game for the Warriors.
“Of course it frustrates me,” Thompson said after the Warriors-Suns game. “You think I’m gonna just chill? I’m freaking competitive man. At the end of the day, I’m one of the most competitive people to put this uniform on. I can say that with confidence too. But whatever. I guess I didn’t bring it tonight. I deserved it.”
Thompson finished with seven points and five rebounds against the Suns while shooting 2-of-10 from the field, 1-of-8 from beyond the arc and 2-of-2 from the free-throw line. The Warriors, who lost by three points, finished the game with Stephen Curry, Brandin Podziemski, Chris Paul, Jonathan Kuminga and Dario Saric.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Klay Thompson, Golden State Warriors, Phoenix Suns Updates
“I deserved to be benched tonight,” Thompson told Warriors reporters. “I played like crap. If you’ve ever played basketball before, you know what you’re capable of. You always want to be out there competing. That’s just facts. Whatever though. It happens. I deserved to be benched. I’ve been playing like crap. Twenty games in. I haven’t caught a good rhythm. But give credit to our (Warriors) bench. They played awesome. Young guys are stepping up.”
The Warriors are 10-13 on the season. They are in 11th place in the Western Conference standings. Thompson is averaging 15.4 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 22 games for the Warriors while shooting 39.7% from the floor, 34.3% from 3 and 88.9% from the foul line.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Klay Thompson, Golden State Warriors, Phoenix Suns Updates
Thompson becomes an unrestricted free agent after this season. The Warriors, who have won four NBA championships in the Thompson-Stephen Curry-Draymond Green era, will have a big decision to make with Thompson.
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