NBA News: Klay Thompson’s Mavericks teammate sends a strong message to the rest of the league

The Dallas Mavericks are expected to be strong candidates in NBA Western Conference this season. With star players like Luka Doncic and Klay Thompsonthe Mavericks are determined to secure a spot in the playoffs.

Their recent victory over the Utah Jazz in Dallas was a relief for fans. Now tied at 1-1 in the NBA regular season, the victory serves as motivation for the upcoming matches. Thompson turned in an impressive performance, scoring 18 points with 2 assists and 4 rebounds.

Before match 4, Thompson’s teammate Dereck Lively II spoke to the media after the Jazz winsends a message to about the Mavericks game plan: “It’s about playing a different game. Sometimes we see three or four defenders collapse to stop a lob, which means we have to rotate our defense.”

Lively II went on to explain what happens if opponents try to stop the Mavericks’ lob strategy: “If we don’t get it on the first try, with a swing-swing and a second-side drive, we can still get the lob … if we keep that focus, we’ll be in the prime of the season.”

Dereck Lively II #2 of the Dallas Mavericks celebrates after scoring with teammate PJ Washington #25 as they play against the San Antonio Spurs.

Lively II’s contribution to the Mavericks off the bench

In the three games the Mavericks have played this season, Lively II has come off the bench every timeaveraged 11.3 points on 5 field goals, 8.7 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game.

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Next to Lively II, The Mavericks are also counting on Spencer Dinwiddie as a key contributor off the bench. However, the team is still looking for their regular starters to step up if they are to establish themselves as contenders in the Western Conference.

Irving reflects on the Mavericks’ performance

Adding to Lively II’s comments, Kyrie Irving was candid about the team’s recent performance, saying, “We’re headed in the right direction, but we’ve still got to get better, man. We’re nowhere near our championship habits right now.”

Focusing on their season goals, the Mavericks continue their journey with the next challenge against the Timberwolves, another team striving for strong results early in the regular season.

Santiago Tovar is a bilingual sports journalist, proficient in both English and Spanish, with additional fluency in French. He joined Bolavip US in 2024 and brought over seven years of experience covering a wide range of sports including football, NFL, NBA, tennis and Formula 1. A graduate of the Universidad Externado in Colombia with a degree in Social Communication — Journalism , Santiago has provided real-time coverage of major events such as the 2021 Women’s Copa America, Copa Libertadores, Copa Sudamericana and Davis Cup qualifiers. Previously, he worked at Kienyke.com and Redmas.com.co where he developed strategies to highlight key sports moments across websites and social media platforms.