Klay Thompson hopes to play Friday or Saturday after spraining ankle

ByEthan Sherwood Strauss ESPN logo
Wednesday, December 9, 2015

INDIANAPOLIS -- Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson sprained his right ankle late in his team's131-123 win over the Indiana Pacerson Tuesday.

Thompson, who finished with a season-high 39 points, was walking under his own power with a bit of a limp after the game, and the team said X-rays were negative. Interim coach Luke Walton said the team would know more after further evaluation in the morning.

Thompson said he rolled the ankle a bit.

"It's probably going to be sore for a couple days," Thompson said, "but I should be back in no time."

He told ESPN's Marc Stein he hoped to be able to play Friday in Boston or Saturday in Milwaukee.

"I'll be all right," Thompson said. "I've rolled an ankle before."

With 58 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, Thompson leaped to contest the shot of Pacers forward Chase Budinger. He landed near teammate Shaun Livingston, and his ankle turned.

"I just came down," Thompson said of the play. "I don't even know -- either hit the floor, or somebody's foot just rolled it."

Thompson hit 10 3-pointers in the victory, which pushed the Warriors to 23-0. He joined teammate Stephen Curry and J.R. Smith as the only players in NBA history with multiple games with at least 10 3-pointers, according to ESPN Stats & Information.

"Besides, obviously, rolling my ankle, it was a lot of fun," Thompson said of the game.

Golden State led by 28 after three quarters and elected to sit its starters. A fourth-quarter run by the Pacers compelled Walton to return Thompson and other Warriors starters to action. Asked whether he blamed the second unit for his having to return, Thompson said, "No. Because it happens, man. The other night, our second unit bailed us out in Brooklyn when our first wasn't playing that well."

The most recent time the Warriors were without their All-Star shooting guard was Nov. 14, when they needed overtime to beat the visiting Nets. Thompson missed that game because of back soreness.

Information from ESPN's Marc Stein and The Associated Press was used in this report.

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