Warrior Wonder: Thompson, McKinnie steal the show against Grizzlies

With so many great individual performances from the champs last night, Klay Thompson and Alfonzo McKinnie showed the versatility of their games.

The Golden State Warriors turned a close contest into a nonchalant blowout victory over the Memphis Grizzlies, 117-101, with the return of their favorite weapon: the third quarter tsunami.

Let’s break down which Warrior made you feel the most wonder!

Warriors Wonder superstar-tier nominee: Klay Thompson

Klay was superb, pouring in 27 points on 11-of-21 shooting from the field. We really saw the evolution of his game last night, as he was confidently dribbling to the spots he wanted on the court despite the physical Memphis defense. In times past, we would see Klay settle for a jumper, or get flustered by the pressure and go nowhere with his dribble. Now, he’s patiently sizing up his man, seeing the floor, and dribbling to where he wants to go without losing the ball.

Of course, he also can just use his laser guided targeting system to light you up from 25 feet too.

Honorable Mention: Kevin Durant

After Draymond Green went down with a foot contusion, KD morphed into a 7-foot facilitator, smoothly orchestrating the Dubs’ offense. He tallied a hyper-efficient 22 points on 11 attempted shots!!! He also added 6 assists and 6 rebounds, calmly churning out another well-rounded, sparkling performance.

I couldn’t argue if you voted for “Slim”.

The Golden Sidekick award nominee: Alfonzo McKinnie

Really Zo? 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the field, drilling 2-of-3 from downtown, and 3 assists OFF OF THE DAMN BENCH?

So you just wanna make the Warriors’ bench a juggernaut huh? You plan on just seamlessly fitting in with the starters so that we always have a semblance of a Death Lineup out there, eh? You really don’t care that you’re making Patrick McCaw a distant, cloudy memory?

Honorable Mention: Kevon Looney is the perfect reserve big for the champs. Defensively, he was rotating from battling Grizzlies’ All-Star center Marc Gasol in the paint to cutting off the airspace from Memphis’ shooters on the wings. His hustle in the third quarter spurred the Dubs’ to land their knockout blow. His nearly had a double-double from the bench (9 points and 9 rebounds).

Quinn Cook also showed off the sweet shooting he’s capable of, nailing 4-of-5 attempts from beyond the arc. His ability to space the floor will be handy as he fills in for the injured Shaun Livingston over the next few games.