Warriors: Durant A Better Scorer Than Curry? Klay Thompson Agrees

Klay Thompson heaped praise on Golden State Warriors teammate Kevin Durant after the small forward scored 44 points to lead the team to a one point – 117-116 – win over the Sacramento Kings on Saturday.

It was the Warriors’ second consecutive win after a four-game winless streak. And in the absence of Stephen Curry, who is out with a groin injury, the team has looked toward Durant to lead them.

Against the Kings on Saturday, they would not have made it across the line first without the forward, who helped them close out the game down the stretch. Durant scored 44 points from 26 shots during the game, of which 17 points came in the fourth quarter.

The 30-year-old was 6-for-12 in the final 12 minutes of the game, while the rest of his team were 2-for-11. So without Durant getting the buckets, it would have been their fifth loss in six games.

Thompson, who got the game winning bucket with just over five seconds remaining on the clock, praised his teammate and made a stunning revelation. The Warriors guard believes Durant is the “best scorer” in the world and that it holds good even when Curry – considered among the greatest shooters in NBA history – is on court.

“Yeah, even when Steph is here,” Thompson said, according to NBC Sports. “You’ve seen in The Finals for a couple years now what KD is capable of. Anytime the offense gets stagnant and they’re switching a lot, you can just throw him the ball and he’s going to get a clean look every time.”

“He’s the best scorer in the world,” the Warriors shooting guard added, which was certainly high praise, especially for a player who could be playing his last season for the Bay Area team.

Meanwhile, coming to Curry, it looks like Durant will have to shoulder the scoring burden for at least two more games after it was revealed the point guard would only begin practicing this week. The two-time MVP has now missed nine straight games after injuring his groin during the game against the Milwaukee Bucks. And since it was a first time injury, the Warriors are being cautious with his return.

Curry was re-evaluated Saturday by the doctors and was given clearance to begin practicing with the team this week. Warriors coach Steve Kerr revealed he was doing fine and that he was anxious to return to action at the earliest, which could be during their five-game road trip that starts with a visit to Toronto to take on the Raptors on Thursday night.

"He's doing much better," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said of Curry on Saturday, via ESPN. "We're just going to keep taking it day by day. And Rick Celebrini [Warriors director of sports medicine and performance] feels very strongly that he'll play on the road trip."

“He's anxious to get back," the Warriors coach added. "But he's handled it very well, supporting his teammates, getting his rehab in every day, working really hard. So he's handling it pretty much exactly as you would expect Steph to handle it."