OAKLAND, Calif. -- Klay Thompson remembers the night Kobe Bryant scored 81 points against the Toronto Raptors on Jan. 22, 2006.

Thompson, a teenager growing up in Los Angeles as the son of an NBA player, was offered tickets to the game. He opted not to go.

Almost 11 years later, Thompson did his best impersonation of a performance he never saw, exploding for 23 of his career-high 60 points in the second quarter Monday night, propelling the Golden State Warriors to a 142-106 victory over the Indiana Pacers.

"I never would have thought I was capable of that," Thompson said of Bryant's feat. "I don't know (if I could have matched it Monday). We should keep the game closer next time."

Thompson's 60 points came in just 29 minutes, making him even better than Bryant in that regard. He became the first NBA player ever to score at least 60 points without playing 30 minutes.

"We know he's capable of that," gushed Warriors coach Steve Kerr, who saw Thompson pour in an NBA-record 37 points in the third quarter of a win over the Sacramento Kings in January of 2015. "It always feels like it's a possibility."

Thompson, whose previous career high of 52 came in that same game against the Kings on Jan. 23, 2015, hit 21 of his 33 shots and went 8-for-14 on 3-pointers, helping Golden State complete a two-game season sweep of the Pacers.

The 60-point performance was the first of the NBA season, and first since Bryant went for 60 in his career finale last April.

"It definitely reminded me of it," Thompson said in comparing Monday's effort with his 52-point game. "It's a zone to cherish when you're in. It's something you don't take for granted because you never know when it's going to happen again."

The last NBA player to score more than 60 points in a game was LeBron James, who had 61 against Charlotte on March 3, 2014.

Thompson scored 17 points in the first quarter, 23 in the second and 20 in the third en route to the fourth 60-point performance for a Warrior since the team moved west in 1962. Wilt Chamberlain had two such games (62 and 63 points), and Rick Barry had a 64-point night on March 26, 1974, against Portland.

The 60 points also were the most ever scored against the Pacers. George Gervin held the previous mark at 55.

"Klay did a good job of moving without the ball," noted Pacers coach Nate McMillan. "Tonight he was moving, and they were finding him. We needed to get more help, and we didn't. He lit us up."

With Thompson showing the way, the Warriors (18-3) led by as many as 11 in the first quarter and 30 in the second en route to a fourth win on their just concluded five-game homestand.

The Pacers (10-11) were playing for the second time in two nights. They're now 1-2 on a five-game Western swing that continues Wednesday at Phoenix.

Thompson did his best work in the second quarter.

After re-entering a relatively close game (44-37) with 9:10 remaining in the half, Thompson immediately regained the touch that had produced his 17-point first period. He hit three 3-pointers and a pair of inside-the-arc hoops in a 15-2 flurry that extended the lead to 59-39.

Thompson made four of his eight 3-pointers in the second quarter, which ended with Golden State in complete command at 80-50.

Ironically, Thompson eclipsed his personal best after missing a free throw that would have been his 52nd point in the eighth minute of the third period.

Warriors center Zaza Pachulia retrieved the miss and flipped the ball behind his back to Thompson, who bombed in a 3-pointer from the left corner to increase his total to 54.

Thompson was pulled from the game with 1:22 left in the third period. He admitted afterward he had hoped to go back in.

"The game was in hand," Kerr said of ending Thompson's night early. "It was never a thought."

With Thompson doing a majority of the scoring, Warriors teammates Stephen Curry (game-high 11 assists) and Draymond Green (10) concentrated on ball distribution. Golden State finished with 45 assists.

"That's the most gratifying thing as a coach -- the unselfishness," Kerr declared. "The celebrations on the sidelines, that what this team is all about."

Kevin Durant complemented Thompson's scoring with 20 points.

The Warriors finished the game at 51.9 percent from the field and 14-for-37 (37.8 percent) on 3-pointers.

Paul George, who returned from ankle and back issues to lead the Pacers to a 111-102 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday night, used 13-for-13 success at the free-throw line to lead Indiana with 21 points on Monday.

"He got it going," George said of Thompson, his Olympic teammate. "He got in a rhythm, and he can shoot. I think we all saw he can shoot."

Jeff Teague added 16 for the Pacers, who shot 41.2 percent from the field and 20 percent (3-for-15) on threes.

NOTES: SG Klay Thompson became the fourth Warrior ever to score 60 points in a game, joining SF Joe Fulks, C Wilt Chamberlain and SF Rick Barry. ... Besides Thompson, Chamberlain and Barry, the other Warriors to have at least two 50-point games in their careers were SG Phil Smith, SF Purvis Short, SF Antawn Jamison and PG Stephen Curry. ... Thompson also recorded a career-high in field goals (21), matched a career best in free throws made (10) and established a season high for 3-pointers made (eight). ... The Warriors recorded their 200th consecutive sellout, the seventh-longest active streak in the NBA.