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Update: Thompson has a knee injury and he will not play in Saturday’s game. He felt the pain before the opening tip and the Warriors have decided to exercise some caution with their shooting guard. Given Thompson’s injury history, this is a wise decision.
Klay Thompson: left knee soreness. Out tonight, per Warriors. Left the floor right before tip.
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) January 8, 2023
Golden State Warriors shooting guard Klay Thompson was not seen on the team bench and he was pulled from the starting lineup ahead of Saturday’s game against the Orlando Magic. There’s no back-to-back scenario here for the Warriors to rest Thompson as they usually do, so it’s not exactly clear what’s happening.
Klay Thompson pulled from the starting lineup right before tip. Not currently on the bench. No word from the Warriors yet on reason.
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) January 8, 2023
This is a totally unexpected move from the Warriors, who are usually quite diligent about providing timely updates on the status of their players. Thompson is also one of the most fierce competitors in the league, so this has to be a serious matter for him to be held out entirely.
With Thompson likely to be out or limited in this game, Jordan Poole and Donte DiVincenzo take on bigger roles in this offense. DiVincenzo will get more shots, while Poole retains his typical workload. We’ll eventually get an update on Thompson’s status from the Warriors, and that’ll provide more clarity on the situation.