Klay Thompson erupts for 60 points as Warriors rout Pacers

With Pacers guard Jeff Teague at the foul line Monday night, a capacity crowd of 19,596 rained down a chorus on the man of the night: KLAY! Klay Thompson had just nailed a wide-open three-pointer in the corner to set a career-high with 54 points. Because the Warriors were well on their way to a 142-106 rout of Indiana, Thompson was benched for the final 13-plus minutes. Per the Elias Sports Bureau, Thompson became the first player since the shot clock was introduced in 1954 to score 60 points in fewer than 30 minutes. With his All-Star supporting cast leaving him gobs of space, Thompson shot 21-for-33 shooting from the field (8-for-14 from beyond the arc). A player who has built his legacy on swishing jumpers was free to focus on his signature skill as he recorded two rebounds, one assist, no turnovers and a plus-37 in 29 minutes. Thompson, perhaps the best three-point shooter of all time not named Curry, seldom dominates the ball, hits shots in the flow of the offense and cares little for fame. [...] was the case Monday, when Thompson’s scoring overshadowed a third-quarter play in which Curry tipped a pass behind his head in transition to Durant for an alley-oop dunk. The Warriors shot 51.9 percent from the field, made 20 free throws, tallied an absurd 45 assists on 54 field goals, committed only 11 turnovers and held Indiana to 3-for-15 shooting beyond the arc.