Klay Thompson was on his way to another "Game 6 Klay" performance before disaster struck late in the third quarter.
The Warriors' sharpshooter was heading in for a dunk Thursday night when he landed awkwardly on his left knee after being fouled by Raptors guard Danny Green. Thompson immediately grimaced in pain and left the Oracle Arena court, only to return moments later to sink his two foul shots. If Klay didn't shoot the free throws, he would have been ineligible to return to the game.
Thompson then left the game for good and did not return because of what his agent later revealed was a torn left ACL. He finished with 30 points in 32 minutes of action, including a sparkling 8-of-12 shooting from the field and four 3-pointers. The Warriors struggled in his absence and wound up losing Game 6 -- and the NBA Finals -- 114-110 to the Raptors.
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Many fellow NBA players tweeted their thoughts for Klay and admired his toughness for returning to the court.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr told reporters after the game that Thompson believed he could come back after a "two-minute rest," but that ultimately was not the case.
Get well soon, Klay.