Klay Thompson Returns to Golden State as Heat Visit Warriors

Klay Thompson spent 13 seasons shooting in this building. On Thursday night he walks into Chase Center in a Miami Heat uniform, one night after his biggest shot of the season.

The Heat visit the Golden State Warriors at 10 p.m. ET on Thursday, on NBA TV. Miami is 3-5. Golden State is 5-3 and has won five straight games. For Thompson, it is his first game at Chase Center as a Heat player, and his only visit this season.

The shot that set this up

Thompson arrived in San Francisco hot. On Wednesday night at the Los Angeles Clippers, he scored 30 points, made eight three pointers, and hit the winning corner three with one second left in overtime. Miami came back from 20 points down to win 117-116. Bam Adebayo added 35 points and 10 rebounds.

It was Thompson's first 30 point game since 2024. Across his last three games he has scored 25 against Indiana, 19 against the Los Angeles Lakers and 30 against the Clippers, 74 points in total, with 19 three pointers.

Asked about facing his old team the next night, Thompson grinned, Essentially Sports reported. "It's fun to beat up on old friends, so that would be awesome to come away with a back-to-back win," he said.

He struck a softer note in other comments carried by Yardbarker. "It's going to be a good challenge tomorrow night. It's going to be awesome seeing all the guys I grew up with and just going to be a special night. I only get to go there once this season, so I'm going to soak it all up."

What Golden State has waiting

The Warriors have had two full days off while Miami played into overtime on Wednesday. Golden State's last game was a 116-113 win over Phoenix, when Stephen Curry scored 34 points with seven assists and six rebounds, Essentially Sports reported.

Curry and Thompson shared a backcourt for 13 seasons and won four championships together after Golden State drafted Thompson 11th overall in 2011. Warriors coach Steve Kerr has said facing his former guard still feels strange, even with time passing since the split.

Miami has a second homecoming in the game. Andrew Wiggins, a starter on Golden State's 2022 championship team, is also back at Chase Center with the Heat.

The test for Miami

The Heat lost five of their first seven games before the Clippers win. They now play the second night of a back to back, on the road, against a rested team on a five game winning streak. Miami's path is the one that worked on Wednesday: Adebayo inside, Thompson shooting early to stretch the floor, and a defence that holds up late.

Golden State is a 7.5 point favourite in Thursday morning listings. The crowd will not care about the line when Thompson is introduced. He was one half of the most famous shooting backcourt of his era in this arena, and for one night the arena gets to watch him try to beat it.

The same night report will be published on this site after the final whistle.