SAN FRANCISCO — It was less than a week ago the Warriors had lost nine of 11 games and were seen as desperately in need for Draymond Green to ride in and save the day.
Before Green ever got a chance to get back on the floor, Klay Thompson came to the rescue, scoring 38 points Saturday night in a 122-109 win over the defending NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks at Chase Center.
That bad spell less than a week ago? It’s old news. The Warriors have won three straight to improve to 46-22 and tie Memphis for the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference.
Jordan Poole, inserted into the starting lineup by coach Steve Kerr along with Thompson and Stephen Curry, had 30 points for the Warriors, with Andrew Wiggins adding 21.
Milwaukee was led by Giannis Antetokounmpo, who scored 31 points.
When Green is back in action Monday night at Chase Center against the Washington Wizards, he’ll be rejoining a team that looked as formidable as the one that built legitimate title aspirations from October through February and put on a show before a national television audience.
Milwaukee (42-26) came in having won seven of its last 10 games and in their last game against the Warriors on Jan. 13, won 118-99 in a game in which the Bucks led by as much as 39 points.
Poole had 30 points through three quarters and Thompson 29 Saturday as the Warriors had a 103-84 lead
The Warriors pushed the lead to 78-58 with 10:03 left in the third quarter as Poole nailed a pair of 3-point shots, giving him 25 points and sending the crowd into a frenzy.
Thompson’s 17-point explosion in the second quarter gave him 21 at the half as the Warriors took a 67-58 lead.
It started with a 3-pointer to bring the Warriors to within 38-35, then he hit another to tie the score. A third 3-point basket put the Warriors up 43-40, and a 25-footer pushed the margin to 48-41.
A step-back inside the line gave the Warriors a 52-43 lead, and then a 3-pointer with 53.8 seconds put the Warriors up 65-55.
Thompson has plenty of help, with Poole scoring 16 points in the first half, Wiggins 13 and Jonathan Kuminga eight off the bench. Curry (eight points, eight assists, five rebounds) was content to facilitate, taking only three first-half shots good for five points and 1 of 2 from 3-point land.
For Milwaukee, Antetokounmpo had 17 points in the first half with Jrue Holiday adding 11 of his 13 points.
The Warriors crashed the boards hard, with a 38-20 rebounding advantage and 11 second-chance points to none for the Bucks.
The Warriors and Bucks were tied 28-28 after one quarter despite Golden State shooting just 34.6% from the field.
Poole led the Warriors with seven points, with Wiggins adding six and Curry five. Ibaka had nine first-quarter points for Milwaukee and Antetokounmpo seven for the Bucks.
