Image via Complex Original
On December 5, 2016, on an otherwise ordinary night of NBA action, Klay Thompson dropped 60 points in less than 30 minutes of playing time, becoming the first player in 30 years to do so. It's not the first time Klay suddenly combusted during a game—his 37-point single-quarter outburst against the Sacramento Kings last year comes to mind. But 60? In under 30 minutes?? That's efficiency on another level.
Which got us thinking: How would Klay Thompson's super efficient, no-waste 60 look in comparison to a similar-yet-much less economic performance? More specifically, how would Thompson's effort look when compared to Kobe Bryant's 60-point, 50-shot mid-April swan song? We all know Kobe never had a problem living up to his stereotype, but apparently neither does Klay. How different were their performances? Find out below.
Klay Thompson Shot Chart
FGA: 33
FGM: 21
FG%: 63.6
3PA: 14
3PM: 8
3P%: 57.1
FTA: 11
FTM: 10
Rebounds: 2
Assists: 1
Blocks: 0
Steals: 0
Turnovers: 0
Kobe Bryant Shot Chart
FGA: 50
FGM: 22
FG%: 44.0
3PA: 21
3PM: 6
3P%: 28.6
FTA: 12
FTM: 10
Rebounds: 4
Assists: 4
Blocks: 1
Steals: 1
Turnovers: 2
Percentage of Team's Points
Klay Thompson
Image via meta-chart.com
Kobe Bryant
Image via meta-chart.com
If Klay Had Shot Kobe's Percentage
19 FGA @ 44% = 16.72 points
14 3PA @ 28.6% = 12.01 points
11 FTA @ 83.3% = 9.16 points
Klay Thompson would've finished with 37.89 POINTS.
If Kobe Had Shot Klay's Percentage
29 FGA @ 63.6% = 36.88 points
21 3PA @ 57.1% = 35.97 points
12 FTA @ 90.9% = 10.91 points
Kobe Bryant would've finished with 83.76 POINTS.
Scoring by Quarter
Klay Thompson
1st—17
2nd—23
3rd—20
4th—0
Kobe Bryant
1st—15
2nd—7
3rd—15
4th—23
Advanced Stats
Klay Thompson
Touches: 52
Time of possession: 1.5 minutes
Distance traveled: 2.49 miles
Speed: 4.39 MPH
Kobe Bryant
Touches: 94
Time of possession: 6.7 minutes
Distance traveled: 2.65 miles
Speed: 3.87 MPH
Post-Game Tweet
Klay Thompson
Kobe Bryant
In-Game Sneakers
Klay Thompson
Kobe Bryant
Margin of Victory
Klay Thompson
Golden State Warriors: 142
Indiana Pacers: 106
Margin: +36
Kobe Bryant
Los Angeles Lakers: 101
Utah Jazz: 96
Margin: +5