In his return to the Bay Area, Klay Thompson played great and helped the Dallas Mavericks beat his old team, the Golden State Warriors, 143-133. Fans at the Chase Center got to see Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson both make impressive three-pointers, but this time, they wore different team jerseys, and in the end, it was Thompson who achieved the victory.
The last time Klay Thompson played at Chase Center after leaving the Warriors, Steph Curry stole the show in a 120-117 win for Golden State. But this time, it was Thompson who had the last laugh.
In this game, which was Thompson’s second time in the Bay Arena, he scored a season-high 29 points, hitting 7 of 11 from three-point range. His sharpshooting helped the Mavericks secure a thrilling win, with both teams combining for a record-breaking 48 three-pointers. Luka Doncic also dazzled, recording a triple-double with 45 points, 13 assists, and 11 rebounds.
Klay was spectacular from beyond the arc in his 2nd return to The Bay 🤩
— NBA (@NBA) December 16, 2024
🎯 29 PTS
🎯 7 3PM
He helps lift the Mavs to a high-scoring victory! pic.twitter.com/ODeetVoQhv
For the Warriors, Andrew Wiggins led with 29 points, while Curry added 26, Draymond Green scored 21, and Jonathan Kuminga contributed 20. The Golden State Warriors had a strong start to the NBA season, but their performance has significantly declined in recent games. They have only emerged victorious in five of their previous 14 games.
On the other hand, with Thompson, the Mavericks are now improving their season to 17-9 despite starting worse than the Warriors.
Klay Thompson reflects on Mavericks’ victory
The win was special for Klay Thompson, who spent most of his career with the Warriors before joining the Mavericks. Scoring a season-high at his old home court, the 34-year-old looked emotional. Seeing as how it might be his last game of the season, he was the last Dallas player to leave the court.
During the post-game press conference, he said, “I just wanted to take that moment for myself because I spent a lot of days in here especially when I couldn’t play. I just took that moment for myself because I worked so hard to get back to feeling like this. Feel like I owed myself a second just to soak it all in.”
