SAN FRANCISCO — Before his first game back in the Bay Area as a Dallas Maverick, Klay Thompson claimed it was “just another regular-season game.”
Thompson’s attempt to downplay the mid-November matchup between the Golden State Warriors and Mavericks wasn’t believable. That night, Steph Curry punctuated a Warriors’ comeback win 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 on Sunday, the emotions Thompson showed in the fourth quarter were more proof that there is nothing ordinary about him playing against the team he won four championships with across 13 years.
“As far as regular-season wins?” Thompson said after Dallas’ 143-133 victory. “It has to be up there.”
Thompson scored 29 points, including 13 in the fourth quarter, in a game that featured an NBA record 48 3-point makes. Thompson sank seven of those triples. He made three 3s in the game’s final six and a half minutes. He celebrated a make from the left corner with 6:26 remaining by stomping around and sticking his tongue out.
TALK TO ‘EM‼️ pic.twitter.com/hMcOTcty5o
— Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) December 16, 2024
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 in Chase Center,” Thompson said. “ I have been lucky enough to set records here and have incredible memories. I try to tap into that every time I’m back. It’s just as fun as the first time I was back. Especially seeing the No. 11 jerseys and the young fans. Just to see the impact I had when I was here, it makes me incredibly proud of what I was able to do.”
Chase Center was a sea of captain hats in the Nov. 12 game between Dallas and Golden State. The Warriors distributed nautical headwear to every fan in attendance.
Thompson developed an affinity for boating while he was recovering from two lower-body injuries, which 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 in between playing games.
“I think he was fired up,” Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said. “There is emotion coming back here. Winning championships and being in a lot of battles on the other side. His confidence to be able to make 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 an NBA team has ever made 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 100 possessions against the NBA’s fourth-ranked defense.
“Thankfully, Luka had a historic-type night,” Thompson said. “Shows that we can out-score anybody. At the same time, we have to hone in on defense a little better. Because if we want to do what we want to do, it’s very important we don’t let the opponent shoot that well from the field.”
Thompson spent 20 minutes in the Warriors locker room afterward catching up with his former coworkers. The day before the game, Thompson visited his old neighborhood, drove by Oracle Arena and shared a meal with a friend.
Thompson spotted a few No. 11 jerseys in the crowd Sunday.
“That always warms my heart,” he said.
There was also a smattering of captain hats.
“Seamanship is probably the only thing that brings me as much joy as basketball,” Thompson said. “I’m just really happy I got a whole new demographic of people wearing that hat who had never been on the water before. That makes me happy.”
(Photo: Ezra Shaw / Getty Images)
