Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson (11) ; at Oracle Arena, Oakland, CA, USA. May 27, 2015; Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
The Golden State Warriors were given a welcome boost on Monday when their All-Star shooting guard Klay Thompson returned to team practice five days after suffering a concussion.
Though Thompson still needs medical clearance to play in the best-of-seven NBA Finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers starting on Thursday, he is now just one step away from being given the green light.
“I expect to be (cleared),” Thompson, 25, told reporters after taking a full part in practice with his team mates in Oakland, California. “I feel like I’m well on my way there.”
Thompson, who is Golden State’s second-leading scorer behind point guard Stephen Curry, sustained a concussion during the team’s clinching Game Five win over the Rockets on Thursday after being kneed in the head by Houston’s Trevor Ariza.
Working in Thompson’s favor is that Thursday’s Game One will give each team seven days rest between games, the longest gap ever between the end of the conference finals and the start of the NBA Finals.
(Reporting by Mark Lamport-Stokes in Los Angeles; Editing by Larry Fine)