Why Klay Thompson’s 28-point performance made a case to keep him as a starter

MIAMI — Here are five observations from the Golden State Warriors’ 113-92 road win over a short-handed Miami Heat team Tuesday night that temporarily stabilized their wobbly place in the standings.

The Heat ruled Tyler Herro and Duncan Robinson out Monday afternoon. So the Warriors prepped in advance to face a Heat team without its two best floor spacers, figuring coach Erik Spoelstra would lean defense. Kevin Love and Jimmy Butler were then ruled out two hours before tipoff, further dragging Spoelstra into a desperate rotational state.

So the Warriors anticipated zone, full-court press and various schemes from Miami in an attempt to drag the action into the mud. In response, coach Steve Kerr started Thompson in Brandin Podziemski’s spot.

“Get a little more spacing on the floor to start the game,” Kerr said. “It doesn’t necessarily mean it’s permanent. Just felt like tonight it was important.”

After nearly a decade starting, Thompson moved to the bench in mid-February. He has started four games since — twice for the injured Podziemski and twice for the injured Steph Curry. This was the first time since the reassignment that Kerr started Thompson next to Curry when Podziemski was available.

Part of Kerr’s recent rationale for continuing to start Curry, Podziemski, Andrew Wiggins, Jonathan Kuminga and Draymond Green was numbers-based. That five-man group is a plus-59 in 232 minutes together. Podziemski, as Kerr likes to note, has the best individual plus-minus on the team — plus-217, nearly 100 higher than anyone else.

But Tuesday night’s five-man starting group — replacing Podziemski with Thompson — is starting to compile a decent sample size and the output has been even more efficient. They’re outscoring opponents by 55 points in 157 minutes together.

That included a demolition of the short-handed Heat. That group outscored Miami 42-19 in 23 minutes, blasting off to a 13-5 lead (which included three Thompson buckets) and opening the second half with a 20-12 surge to regain control of the game.

Kerr opted to go back to them in crunchtime, bringing the Curry, Thompson, Wiggins, Kuminga and Green lineup together with 5:20 left and the Warriors up 96-85. Over the next two minutes, they went on a 9-0 run to slam the door — Kuminga lob dunk, Wiggins layup and two Thompson jumpers to complete a blowout.

Kerr didn’t commit to sticking with that starting lineup in Orlando on Wednesday or beyond, but the numbers and Thompson’s recent hot stretch would justify it.

2. Thompson’s hot stretch

Thompson’s 28 points against the Heat included six 3s. He played 31 minutes, which has been a near-normal amount for him recently even when he was coming off the bench. Kerr has kept Thompson in high usage because he has quietly been on a long run of consistent production.

In his past 19 games — beginning the night that Kerr controversially moved him to the bench — Thompson is averaging 18.6 points on 47.6 percent overall…