SAN FRANCISCO — Klay Thompson will make his long-awaited return Sunday against Cleveland as planned.

The Golden State star made it official with his own creative announcement on Instagram as he so loves to do.

Thompson has been cleared to play and will play in his first game in more than 2 1/2 years after being sidelined by two devastating injuries.

Coach Steve Kerr wouldn’t confirm Thompson’s status following practice Saturday, saying “it’s not my announcement or decision to make.” He also instructing the media to watch their phones with thanks for putting up with his “charade.”

Thompson will start but with fewer minutes for now.

The 31-year-old Thompson hasn’t played since suffering a torn ACL in his left knee in Game 6 of the 2019 NBA finals as Toronto clinched the championship. While rehabbing from surgery for that injury, he tore his right Achilles tendon scrimmaging the day before training camp began.

“When he comes back, if it’s tomorrow night, it will be one of the most emotional nights of my basketball life,” Kerr said.

Thompson, now sporting an old-school headband he plans to stick with as his curly hair is longer, knows it will take time to build back up to his pre-injury minutes and performance on both ends of the floor.

“The game needs Klay, he’s one of the best shooters to ever play this game,” teammate Juan Toscano-Anderson said. “… The magnitude of this moment is so big.”

KNICKS: New York Kncks star Julius Randle was fined $25,000 by the NBA for what the league called an “egregious” use of profane language in interviews.

The league cited Randle’s use of profanity in interviews with the media following a Jan. 5 practice and again the next night following a victory over the Boston Celtics.

SATURDAY’S GAMES

GRIZZLIES 123, CLIPPERS 108: Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 26 points, Desmond Bane added 23 and Memphis tied a franchise record with its eighth straight win, winning in Los Angeles.

It is the fifth time in Memphis’ history and first since 2015 it has won eight straight. The Grizzlies prevailed despite missing All-Star point guard Ja Morant, who sat out due to left thigh soreness. They were also without Coach Taylor Jenkins after he entered health and safety protocols.

Memphis has also won 11 of its last 12 road games, with the only loss during that stretch coming on Dec. 23 vs. Golden State.

PACERS 125, JAZZ 113: Domantas Sabonis scored a career-high 42 points on 18-of-22 shooting to lead Indiana to a  victory over Utah in Indianapolis.

Lance Stephenson contributed 16 points, 14 assists and four steals off the bench for the Pacers. Duane Washington Jr. added 16 points and Justin Holiday 15 for Indiana.

Donovan Mitchell led Utah with 36 points and nine assists. Bojan Bogdanovic scored 21 points and Jordan Clarkson 18 for the Jazz.

PISTONS 97, MAGIC 92: Trey Lyles scored eight of his 16 points in the fourth quarter and Detroit won for the third time in five games, beating Orlando in a matchup of the NBA’s two worst teams, in Detroit.

After ending last year with 18 losses in 19 games, the Pistons have beaten San Antonio, Milwaukee and the Magic since New Year’s Day. They improved to 8-30.

Hamadou Diallo added 17 points, and Saddiq Bey had 16 points. Lyles also had 13 rebounds.

HORNETS 114, BUCKS 106: Terry Rozier scored 28 points, Miles Bridges added 21 points and eight rebounds, and host Charlotte beat Milwaukee, handing the defending NBA champions their third loss in four games.

LaMelo Ball chipped in with 19 points, nine rebounds and eight assists for the Hornets, who held Milwaukee to 38.9% shooting on the Bucks’ second road game in two nights.

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 43 points and 12 rebounds, while Khris Middleton added 27 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists for Milwaukee, which won in Brooklyn on Friday but fell to 13-9 on the road.

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