Report: Klay Thompson likely to play in Game 4

The Golden State Warriors apparently only expect Klay Thompson’s absence from the NBA Finals to last one game.

Thompson suffered a right hamstring strain in Game 2 of the Finals on Sunday and missed the end of the game with the injury. He was termed a game-time decision for Game 3 of the series on Wednesday, and the Warriors only announced he would miss the game around a half hour prior to game time.

During her report before the start of Game 3, ESPN reporter Doris Burke shared that Warriors head coach Steve Kerr told them Thompson is “likely to play in Game 4.”

The Warriors were thinking long term with their handling of Thompson. They did not want to rush him back to action and see him hurt his hamstring even more, potentially rendering him unavailable for the remainder of the series. Instead, they figured they would go in Game 3 without him so that he would be closer to full strength for Game 4 and the remaining games of the series.

Golden State won on Sunday to even the series at 1-1.