Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson, center, is helped up after being injured during the second half of Game 6 of basketball’s NBA Finals against the Toronto Raptors in Oakland, Calif., Thursday, June 13, 2019. | AP
OAKLAND, California — Klay Thompson sustained a torn ACL in his left knee during Game 6 of the NBA Finals, more heartbreaking injury news for the Golden State Warriors after Kevin Durant ruptured his right Achilles tendon and had surgery.
Thompson injured the knee late in the third quarter of Golden State’s 114-110 loss to the Raptors on Thursday night as Toronto won Canada’s first NBA title. Durant had surgery a day earlier after he was injured during Game 5, when he returned from more than a month out with a strained right calf.
“It’s just tough in terms of a guy like Klay that left it all out there,” Stephen Curry said after the game. “He was playing amazing tonight. And to see a freak play like that where he lands awkwardly. I don’t know the diagnosis yet, but you think about the person and the guy and how much he loves to play the game and that’s the only thoughts you have. It’s really not about what it means in terms of playing basketball. It’s just I’m more concerned about him as an individual.”
Thompson was fouled by Danny Green on a drive to the basket with 2:22 remaining in the third quarter. He was helped to the locker room area, then came back out to shoot the free throws. He checked out three seconds later, finishing with 30 points, and left the arena on crutches.
The All-Star shooting guard had missed Golden State’s 123-109 loss in Game 3 with a sore left hamstring.
Golden State missed out on a three-peat playing in its fifth straight NBA Finals, having won three of the previous four championships.
Now, Durant and Thompson — who both could become free agents — are in for lengthy recoveries.
“When Klay goes down and is out for the game, it’s just sort of a, ‘You got to be kidding me. Like, this has to stop,’” coach Steve Kerr said. “But it’s just the way it’s gone. I don’t know if it’s related to five straight seasons of playing a 100-plus games and just all the wear and tear, but it’s devastating.”