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With less than three hours before the Warriors were scheduled to tip off against the Toronto Raptors in Game 3 of the NBA Finals, reports emerged that the team would prefer that Klay Thompson sit out, with Thompson resisting the decision.
This comes according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne, who reported that Thompson, “has continued to lobby” the team, with no official decision made as of yet.
Reporting with @ramonashelburne: Golden State officials prefer Klay Thompson sit out Game 3 to protect his sore hamstring for the rest of NBA Finals, but Thompson has continued to lobby them on playing tonight. Decision looms prior to tip.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 5, 2019
Thompson left Game 2 after scoring 25 points, clutching his hamstring as he headed into the Warriors’ locker room with just over eight minutes remaining in the game. He was seen limping in the tunnel after the game with an ice pack taped under his hamstring, which was deemed a strain.
Steve Kerr said after the game that Thompson told him he’d be “fine,” but that Thompson’s standard is considerably higher than most people’s standard for fighting through injury and pain.
“Klay said he’ll be fine, but he could be half dead and he’d say he’s fine,” Kerr said after Game 2.