Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson wasn’t impressed with the atmosphere at Crypto.com Arena against the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday night.

HIGHLIGHTS

Klay Thompson took a jab at Lakers fans for the lack of playoff atmosphere at Crypto.com Arena on Saturday night.
The game’s atmosphere may have been dampened due to the significant number of Warriors fans present.
The Warriors and Lakers could potentially face off in a heated play-in tournament game in April.

Klay Thompson and the Golden State Warriors took down the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday night in front of a capacity crowd at Crypto.com Arena. However, it wasn’t the same kind of crowd the Warriors guard was accustomed to when watching Lakers games growing up.

After scoring 26 points in Golden State’s 128-121 win over Los Angeles, Thompson, fittingly with a paper airplane in hand, took a little jab at Lakers fans for not bringing the same kind of energy he used to experience at the then-Staples Center over a decade ago.

“No offense to the LA crowd, but you couldn’t really tell. I’ve been here during Finals games… I was very lucky to go with my dad in 2010… It didn’t quite feel the same… I was very happy with the turnout from our fans. It’s cool to see that many Warriors fans show up.” – Klay Thompson

Even though the game featured two all-time legends in LeBron James and Stephen Curry, the slightly partisan crowd might have contributed to the lackluster atmosphere of the game, as there were a notable number of Warriors fans in the building.

Golden State’s fans are known to travel on the road. With San Francisco being just about five hours away from Los Angeles, they made sure to show up and support Thompson and the Warriors in an important late-season matchup.

Likewise, the bizarre ending may have also subsided what could have been an electric finish. For those who missed it, there was a shot clock malfunction that delayed the end of the game for about 20 minutes. The Lakers were in the midst of a furious comeback, but a series of referee reviews and shot clock issues led to several stoppages within the last two minutes that killed the flow and momentum of the game.

Thompson Grew up a Lakers Fan

Warriors guard went to a lot of Lakers games during his teen years

Before becoming a legendary member of the Warriors franchise, Klay Thompson ironically grew up a huge fan of the Lakers. Thompson’s dad, Mychal Thompson, played the latter portion of his career with the Purple and Gold and was part of the Lakers’ 1987 and 1988 championship squads.

In 2003, Mychal Thompson started working as a color commentator for the Lakers. With his family back in Los Angeles, a young Klay got the opportunity to watch Lakers games growing up. As he mentioned, he was also lucky enough to witness the classic 2010 NBA Finals series between the Lakers and archrival Boston Celtics.

Thompson has also shared several stories in the past about how his dad brought him to the Lakers’ locker room after games and how those instances of meeting players like Kobe Bryant became a norm of his childhood.

Nonetheless, Thompson was probably still delighted to see that a good chunk of the crowd on Saturday was there to support his current team. The Warriors need their fanbase to show up with the team still competing for playoff positioning in the Western Conference standings.

Klay Thompson Stats vs. Lakers – March 16, 2024

Category
Stat

Points
26

Rebounds
4

Assists
3

FGM-FGA
9-15

3PM-3PA
5-11

Warriors and Lakers Could Square Off in Play-in Tournament

GSW and LAL are tied for 9th in the West

The Warriors and Lakers haven’t gained ground since the All-Star break and still sit in the 9th and 10th spots in the West standings. Both remain three games behind the 6th seed, which is currently owned by the Sacramento Kings.

With 16 games remaining on the schedule for Golden State and 14 for Los Angeles, they could soon find themselves in a one-off do-or-die game next month in the play-in tournament.

The Warriors and Lakers faced off in the second round of the 2023 NBA playoffs, with James and company denying Curry and his team their quest for back-to-back NBA championships.

Likewise, Golden State and Los Angeles also faced each other in the play-in tournament in 2021, where the Lakers won in thrilling fashion to advance.

With the way the season is winding down, it seems likely these two historic franchises are on another collision course. Before that, however, they still have one final regular season game to play against each other on April 9 in Los Angeles.