Klay Thompson embraces second return for Golden State, helps Mavericks beat Warriors

On By Littum

SAN FRANCISCO – Before his first game back in the Bay Area as a Dallas Maverick, Klay Thompson insisted it was “just another regular season game.”

Thompson’s attempt to downplay the mid-November matchup between the Golden State Warriors and Mavericks was not credible. That night, Steph Curry punctuated a Warriors comeback victory with a game-clinching 3-pointer, which he celebrated by hitting his “Night, Night” celebration and screaming into the camera.

In Mavericks-Warriors Part II Sunday, the emotion Thompson showed in the fourth quarter was further proof that there is nothing ordinary about him playing against the team he won four championships with in 13 years.

“As far as regular season wins go?” Thompson said after Dallas’ 143-133 win. “It must be up there.”

Thompson scored 29 points, including 13 in the fourth quarter, in a game that had an NBA-record 48 3-pointers. Thompson sank seven of those triples. He made three 3s in the last six and a half minutes of the game. He celebrated a layup from the left corner with 6:26 left by stomping around and sticking out his tongue.

Thompson’s 29 points were seven more than he had scored in any other game this season. It was his best outing with the Mavericks, who signed the 34-year-old to a three-year deal in July after acquiring him in a sign-and-trade.

“I love shooting at the Chase Center,” Thompson said. “ I have been lucky enough to set records here and have incredible memories. I try to take advantage of it every time I’m back. It’s just as fun as the first time I was back. Especially seeing the No. 11 shirts and the young fans. Just seeing the impact I had when I was here makes me incredibly proud of what I was able to do.”

The Chase Center was a sea of ​​captain’s hats for the Nov. 12 game between Dallas and Golden State. The Warriors handed out nautical headgear to all fans in attendance.

Thompson developed an affinity for sailing while recovering from two lower-body injuries that cost him more than two years of his prime. Thompson tore the ACL in his left knee during the 2019 NBA Finals. Seventeen months later, Thompson tore his right Achilles. He went 941 days between games.

“I think he was fired up,” Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said. “There are emotions coming back here. Winning championships and being in a lot of games on the other side. His confidence to be able to hit big shots in the rhythm of the offense was (great).

The Mavericks (17-9) won for the 12th time in 14 games despite the Warriors’ hot shooting from the 3-point arc. The Warriors’ 27 3-pointers were the most ever made by an NBA team in a loss.

Luka Dončić bounced back from a rough performance in Oklahoma City with a 45-point, 11-rebound, 13-assist performance. It was his third triple-double in four games. Dončić’s 16-of-23 shooting night helped the Mavericks score at a scorching clip of 141.6 points per game. 100 possessions against the NBA’s fourth-ranked defense.

“Fortunately, Luka had a historic night,” Thompson said. “Shows that we can outperform anyone. At the same time, we have to sharpen up a little better in defense. Because if we want to do what we want, it is very important that we don’t let the opponent shoot so well from the pitch.”

Thompson spent 20 minutes in the Warriors locker room afterward catching up with his former colleagues. The day before the game, Thompson visited his old neighborhood, drove by Oracle Arena and shared a meal with a friend.

Thompson spotted a pair of jerseys no. 11 in the audience on Sunday.

“It always warms my heart,” he said.

There was also a hint of captain’s hat.

“Navy is probably the only thing that brings me as much joy as basketball,” Thompson said. “I’m just really happy that I’ve got a whole new demographic of people wearing that hat that had never been on the water before. That makes me happy.”

(Photo: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)