Mavericks vs Warriors Preview: Klay Thompson returns to face Golden State

The 5-5 Dallas Mavericks continue their scary road swing with a trip to the Chase Center to face the 8-2 Golden State Warriors Tuesday at 9 p.m. Both clubs enter this contest after weekend tests against some of the league’s best teams, with the Mavericks falling in back-to-back heartbreakers to Phoenix and Denver and the Warriors serving as Cleveland’s 10th straight victim before overcoming an early deficit to beat Oklahoma City after the Thunder center Chet Holmgren left the game with a hip injury.

While injuries to center Dereck Lively II (sprained shoulder) and forward PJ Washington (sprained knee) have forced the Mavericks to field some smaller lineups of late, this season’s Warriors have done so by design. Golden State is averaging 39.5% accuracy on 41.3 3-point attempts per game. game and boasts five regulars shooting 40% or better from guards Steph Curry, Buddy Hield and Moses Moody; and forwards Draymond Green and Andrew Wiggins — plus another, guard De’Anthony Melton, who connected on 5 of his 8 long-range attempts in his Warriors starting debut against the Thunder.

The injuries to Lively and Washington have robbed the Mavericks of not only scoring and rebounding, but also two of the team’s better perimeter-defensive big men, making Golden State a particularly difficult matchup. A glimmer of hope for Dallas can be found in the expected return of forward Maxi Kleber from a hamstring injury on Tuesday, although he will likely play limited minutes.

Up front, the Warriors have forwards Jonathan Kuminga and Trayce Jackson-Davis, the league leader in field goal percentage at .700, and can counter big lineups with reliable center Kevon Looney. Although the athletic Kuminga has at times been a questionable fit with the Warriors’ scheme and personnel, his talent and production off the bench has been undeniable. Mavericks center Daniel Gafford has provided scoring and edge defense in Lively’s absence, but in these games has been plagued by foul trouble and having to face Nikola Jokic and Jusuf Nurkic. If Lively misses Tuesday’s game, expect Dallas to call on Dwight Powell for help at center.

NBA Cup

Tuesday’s game is the first in group play for both teams in this year’s NBA regular season tournament. The Mavericks will play each of their counterparts in West Group C, which includes the Warriors, Pelicans, Nuggets and Grizzlies, between Tuesday and Dec. 3 to determine who advances to the Knockout Round. The winners of each of the six groups and two wild card teams, the second-placed group players with the best regular-season records, will advance to the tournament’s quarterfinals.

Klay’s return

Mavericks forward Klay Thompson will play his first career game in the Bay Area as a visitor after being an integral member of four Warriors title teams in his 13 seasons there. The team plans to honor one of the greatest players in franchise history with souvenir captain’s hats for the fans in attendance to commemorate Thompson’s longtime practice of sailing to games across the San Francisco Bay. After a hot start to the season for the Mavericks, Klay’s shooting touch has faltered of late as he went a combined 8-of-26 from the field against the Suns and Nuggets, including 2-of-13 from 3-point range.

Wanted: Bench scoring

Lively and Washington’s absence have also highlighted how much Dallas has relied on Lively and forward Naji Marshall, who has filled in as a starter for Washington, for bench production in 2024-25. It’s also notable how little they’ve gotten from their backup guards lately. Head coach Jason Kidd tried different approaches in the last two games to create better results out of the starting lineup, nearly emptying the bench against Phoenix before playing a short rotation against Denver, with similarly disappointing results. Spencer Dinwiddie and Jaden Hardy combined for seven points Sunday, and Quentin Grimes didn’t check into the game. Depth was expected to be one of this team’s strengths, and it needs to be if the Mavericks are going to compete against the Warriors.

The road ahead

Tuesday’s game marks the second of a stretch in which the Mavericks are 11 of 15 on the road after failing to capitalize on a five-game home stretch in which they won only against Orlando and Chicago teams decimated by injuries. Between the travel and the team’s own shaky health (Luka Dončić hasn’t missed any time but has been playing through a left groin injury), the Mavericks have their work cut out for them, but will get a break in the next four games against the Spurs, Jazz, Thunder and Pelicans , teams that are below them in the standings or are missing key contributors due to injury.

Although it didn’t help them in the standings, in their last six quarters of play the Mavericks have outscored the Suns and Nuggets 185-171, so the team is not without reason for optimism. Dallas continues to take good care of the ball, leading the NBA with an 11.7 turnover ratio, and has gotten several outstanding individual performances from its starters. Much has been asked of guard Kyrie Irving while the Mavericks have been shorthanded, and on Sunday he answered the challenge with red-hot shooting, racking up 43 points on 17-of-22 shooting, including 6 of his 8 3-point attempts . Kidd has been critical of the Mavericks’ slow start, and Dallas can help themselves by reversing course and coming out strong. Against the Warriors, it may be necessary.

That’s how you see

This one will be televised nationally on TNT!