Klay Thompson's Clutch 4Q Hyped By Steph Curry, Fans as Warriors Beat Kawhi, Clippers

The Golden State Warriors got a much-needed win over Kawhi Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers, 120-114, on Thursday night in a game that saw Klay Thompson shine during a fourth-quarter run to secure the victory.

Thompson only shot 8-of-18 from the field (2-of-7 from three), but scored 10 straight Warriors points early in the final quarter that put them up 99-86. He finished with 22 points overall, including 17 in the second half.

This was the fourth time in five games that Thompson has scored at least 20 points. He didn't hit that mark in any of his first 13 games played.

"We needed it," Stephen Curry told reporters after the game. "... I know he didn't have much going before that run. That's Klay."

Curry, who had an efficient game with 26 points on 8-of-15 shooting with eight assists and seven rebounds, wasn't the only one excited to see Thompson turn back the clock to lift the Warriors.

Fans and analysts were hyped watching the five-time All-Star show off the scoring ability that made him such an important part of Golden State's dynastic run.

This was about as good of a game as Golden State's big three has played together this season. Draymond Green contributed 13 points, five rebounds and five assists in 29 minutes. It was his first game scoring in double-figures since Nov. 5.

The Warriors needed a win just to quiet some of the noise after blowing a 24-point lead to the Sacramento Kings in an in-season tournament game on Tuesday.

There's still a lot of work for head coach Steve Kerr to do with this team in their quest to be an NBA Finals contender, but Thompson's recent output is an encouraging sign. He was the Warriors' only starter with a positive plus-minus against the Clippers.

These two teams will play the second leg of their home-and-home series on Saturday at Crypto.com Arena. Golden State will be looking to win back-to-back games for the first time since a five-game winning streak from Oct. 27 to Nov. 3.