"We got to take every game so seriously": Klay Thompson warns Warriors to not lose focus after ending 11 game road losing streak

Klay Thompson’s big night helped the Golden State Warriors snap an embarrassing 11-game road losing streak with a win against the Houston Rockets. The defending NBA champs haven’t won a game since January 30 when they beat the OKC Thunder in Oklahoma.

While the win felt like it was some kind of relief, the Warriors understand they will have to play better. Here’s Thompson on what the Bay Area team will have to do in the coming weeks:

“Extreme urgency. We got to take every game so seriously. You always do 82 games. It’s tough to be great in all of them. With nine [games] left, we gotta treat these like a playoff buffer and I know we will.”

The win brought the Warriors’ record over .500 again. Their 37-36 win-loss slate puts them in sixth place in the bunched-up Western Conference standings. Golden State is just 1.5 games out of the 10th spot, a position currently held by the LA Lakers (35-37).

Golden State are 29-7 playing in front of their home crowd, tied for second-best in the entire NBA behind the Denver Nuggets’ 30-6 mark. The road has been their kryptonite all season long. They’re now 8-29, the third-worst mark in the league, away from Chase Center.

Klay Thompson knows the Golden State Warriors' road to clinching at least a play-in spot doesn’t get any easier. As teams desperately push for wins, the defending NBA champs will be tested.

Four of their remaining nine games will be on the road. They will face the Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets, Sacramento Kings and Portland Trail Blazers away from San Francisco before the regular season ends.

Out of the four, Portland may be the only team that has nothing left to play for, probably except pride, when the Warriors face them.

If Golden State hasn’t been taking games extremely seriously, they should turn that switch on.

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Klay Thompson’s performance is a barometer of the Golden State Warriors’ success

Klay Thompson was heavily criticized for his terrible performances at the start of the season. Hall of Famer Charles Barkley pointed out that he’s no longer the same player he once was.

Thompson finally had an offseason without rehabilitation and then went to training camp for the first time in two years. Slowly but steadily, he has shown that he still has it and the Golden State Warriors are significantly better when he’s playing well.

Golden State holds a 15-6 record when Klay Thompson scores at least 25 points. He’s averaging 32.4 points on 50.3% shooting, including 47.3% from behind the arc in those games. That’s an impressive mark considering that Steph Curry wasn’t available in 11 of them.

“Game 6 Klay” may no longer be the player he once was, but he can still have an impact on the Warriors.

The Golden State Warriors will close their five-game road trip on Wednesday against the Dallas Mavericks. Time will tell if Klay Thompson and the Warriors will show “extreme urgency” and if they will take these games “so seriously.”

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You may also want to read: Watch: Klay Thompson’s emotional response to Charles Barkley asserting he’s not the same player anymore: “It just hurt my heart hearing that”