Klay Thompson vs. Pacers: Stats, Highlights and Twitter Reaction

The Indiana Pacers never had a chance Monday.

The Pacers likely would have been thrilled if someone told them they would hold two-time reigning MVP Stephen Curry to 13 points, Draymond Green to a mere two points and Kevin Durant to 20 points during their showdown with the Golden State Warriors at Oracle Arena.

That thrill would have quickly dissipated when that someone told them Klay Thompson exploded for a ridiculous 60 points in a 142-106 victory. His box score is insane before even considering he didn't play in the fourth quarter because the game was well in hand:

Minutes	Points	Field Goals	Three-Pointers	Free Throws	Plus/Minus
29	60	21-of-33	8-of-14	10-of-11	+37

Thompson was unconscious, shooting the ball from everywhere, and finished 21-of-33 from the field, 8-of-14 from downtown and 10-of-11 from the charity stripe.

According to Warriors PR, Thompson's career-high 60 points is the most scored by a single player against the Pacers in history (previously George Gervin's 55 in 1980). Warriors PR also noted Thompson joined Wilt Chamberlain, Rick Barry and Joe Fulks as the only Golden State players to reach the 60-point plateau in a single game.

He joined some impressive company, per Warriors PR:

Thompson put on a show for more than just the fans, as some of his teammates got in on the fun from the sideline (via NBA.com):

The sharpshooter wasted little time establishing himself on the special night. He poured in 40 points in the first half alone and trailed the Pacers by himself, 50-40. ESPN noted then-Milwaukee Bucks guard Brandon Jennings is the only player who scored more than Thompson in a half in the last 10 seasons when he tallied 45 in the second half of a game against the Warriors in 2009.

CBS Sports NBA shared Thompson's incredible shot chart from the opening 24 minutes, as well as his offensive strategy:

Thompson didn't cool off in the locker room at halftime and extended his point total to 60 in the third quarter. 

Randy Cruz of The Cruz Control Podcast and Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com had some fun with the performance:

It was easy to forget watching Thompson's individual brilliance that the Warriors are a superteam made up of a collection of All-Stars. Thompson didn't have all the fun Monday, as Green, Curry and Durant turned in one of the most impressive plays of the entire season during the course of the blowout win:

Still, the story was Thompson, especially since he was shooting a career-low 37.6 percent from three-point range coming into Monday's contest. While that was with a small sample size of just 20 games, it is worth noting he connected on better than 40 percent of his threes in each of his first five seasons in the league. 

Howard Beck of Bleacher Report reflected on the slower start by Thompson's incredible standards in light of Monday's outing: "Remember when people thought the Warriors couldn't keep four stars happy and worried about Klay's 'slump?' That was fun." 

Thompson did not play during the stretch run of the easy victory, which had Matt Moore of CBS Sports pulling for a dramatic Pacers' comeback.

"

What everyone needs to root for right now is a huge Pacers comeback to force Klay back in.

— Hardwood Paroxysm (@HPbasketball) December 6, 2016"

Alas, it never came, and Golden State ended up outscoring Indiana 26-23 in the final 12 minutes even with its stars on the bench. 

The Warriors moved to 18-3 on the campaign with their 14th win in 15 tries. While it is far too early to start thinking about another run at 73 victories after they set the NBA record last season, Thompson's offensive explosion was a reminder to the rest of the league just how dangerous this team can be on any given night.

It may take a super-human effort to prevent Golden State from winning its second NBA title in three years if its third option behind previous MVPs Curry and Durant is capable of scoring 60 points in three quarters of play.

Postgame Reaction

Thompson joked his team should have let the Pacers hang around, per Connor Letourneau of the San Francisco Chronicle: "It's unfortunate. The two times I got my career high, I didn't play in the fourth quarter. Got to keep these games closer."

He discussed the crowd factor of Monday's performance, per Letourneau: "It's so fun when you get the crowd on their feet every time you touch the ball. That's not a thing very many players get."

Warriors owner Joe Lacob had some fun with Thompson after the game, per SB Nation's Golden State of Mind:

According to Letourneau, Thompson criticized the shots he missed during halftime. "I remember the shots I miss more than the ones I make," the guard said.

Thompson was asked if he thinks the Warriors' outing was the best they can be offensively, per Tim Bontemps of the Washington Post: "No. It's only been 21 games. We definitely have another gear."

That's a scary thought for the rest of the league.