Warriors fans aren’t alone in counting down the days until the return of Klay Thompson.
Coach Steve Kerr is doing the same thing.
Wednesday night marked another rare off night for Golden State point guard Steph Curry, who posted 14 points and made just 1-of-9 attempts from 3-point range in the Warriors’ 99-82 loss to the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center. It followed a dismal 1-for-10 performance from beyond the arc for Curry during Golden State’s win over the Miami Heat on Monday night at Chase Center.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
Curry hadn’t posted one or zero 3-point makes in back-to-back contests since Game 1 and Game 2 of the 2018 Western Conference Finals against the Houston Rockets.
“The way everybody’s playing Steph, they’re putting their best defender on him,” Kerr said. “They’re attacking him with double teams, getting the ball out of his hands.”
Getting Thompson, the other half of the Splash Brothers who hasn’t appeared in an NBA game in 31 months, back on the floor will take pressure off Curry.
“It’ll be nice to have Klay out on the floor on the weak side,” Kerr said. “He’ll probably see a lot of open shots given the way teams are guarding Steph. It’ll be nice.”
It’s not official, but Thompson could return to the Warriors as soon as Sunday – a home tilt against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Thompson was seen raising six fingers as he walked into the Warriors locker room ahead of the game against Miami on Monday night, possibly signaling a countdown of six days remaining until his return.
Despite the ugly loss to Dallas and a poor shooting performance from his superstar Curry, Kerr was optimistic Wednesday night as his club still sits atop the Western Conference – albeit now tied with the Phoenix Suns – with a 29-8 record.
RELATED: Why Steph isn't overreacting to worst slump of career
Golden State Warriors
Find the latest Golden State Warriors news, highlights, analysis and more with NBC Sports Bay Area and California.
“I’m really pleased with where the team is,” Kerr said. “Everybody’s disappointed in the locker room with the way they played. I’m disappointed with the way I coached. This is a tough night, but these nights happen, and you’ve got to move forward.”