Klay Thompson Injury: Updates on Warriors Guard's Back and Return

Golden State Warriors shooting guard Klay Thompson suffered a lower-back strain early in Friday's matchup with the Atlanta Hawks, according to the San Francisco Chronicle's Rusty Simmons via Twitter:

Shortly after leaving the court, CSN Warriors News on Twitter captured this shot of Thompson fighting the pain:

Thompson scored six points on 2-of-5 shooting from the field before heading to the locker room.

Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution provided an update in the second half: 

John Dickinson of 95.7 The Game in the Bay Area provided an update after the game:

NBA.com's Geoff Lepper puts Thompson's painful injury into perspective: 

It remains to be seen how severe the injury is and whether it will sideline the 24-year-old sharpshooter for a significant period of time. Regardless, head coach Mark Jackson and his players will be hoping for a speedy recovery.

After all, Thompson is the Warriors' third-leading scorer (18 points per game) and one of the best shooters in the league, hitting better than 40 percent from beyond the arc. 

With Golden State pushing for a playoff berth this spring, it'll need Thompson at 100 percent and on the floor in order to have a shot at chasing down the Western Conference's top teams.