Klay taps into Chase Center memories with big game vs. Warriors originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SAN FRANCISCO – Klay Thompson’s second visit to Chase Center wasn’t as emotional as it was the first time he came back, but the five-time NBA All-Star still got caught up in the moment as he walked off the court at the end of the game.
One of the cornerstones in the Warriors’ four NBA championship runs from 2015-22, Thompson was cheered by several thousand Golden State fans after the Mavericks slapped the Warriors 143-133 on Sunday night.
Wildly popular when he wore a Warriors uniform, Thompson is still revered in these parts and he took some time to soak it all in. He signed a few autographs then blared out lyrics from an E-40 song as he skipped happily down the tunnel toward the Dallas locker room.
“I love shooting at Chase,” Thompson said. “I’ve been lucky enough to set records here and have incredible memories, so I try to tap into that every time I’m back. It was just as fun as the first time I came back, especially seeing all the No. 11 jerseys and seeing the young fans and seeing how much of an impact I was able to have while I was here.
“Makes me incredibly proud of what I was able to do.”
Unlike when Thompson first came back to San Francisco in a Mavericks uniform a month ago, the atmosphere was a bit more subdued inside Chase Center on Sunday. Fans cheered for him during pregame introductions, but that was about as far as it got.
There was no welcoming committee crowd of 400 employees who wore captain hats like there was Nov. 12, when the Warriors spoiled Thompson’s homecoming to the Bay Area with a 120-117 victory.
It still was a special night anyway.
Thompson poured in a season-high 29 points to go with five rebounds and four assists. The former Splash Brother rained down seven threes, matching Stephen Curry for most in the game, and shot 9 of 14 overall to finish plus-21.
It was a much-needed victory for the Mavericks. Sitting in fourth place in the crowded Western Conference, Dallas had lost seven of its previous nine before gouging Golden State at Chase.
“Klay played great down the stretch,” Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said. “He also got us off to a good start. Klay set some good screens; Klay came down and made some big shots for us. Also I thought his play-making was good, too.
“Being a veteran, being in a big-game situation, he handled it like he always has. He played great for us.”
Kidd felt Thompson handled the magnitude of the night perfectly.
“There’s still emotion here coming back here, winning championships and being in a lot of battles with those guys on the other side,” Kidd said. “Just his confidence to be able to make big shots in the rhythm of the offense, and defensively he was big for us. Just his comfort level, understanding playing with [Luka Dončić] and [Kyrie Irving], it takes time, but you can see that he’s getting comfortable.”
Thompson certainly was comfortable putting up shots at Chase. The night got even better for him as he looked around and saw a few familiar faces.
Leaving town with a win is just icing on the cake.
“I just wanted to take that moment for myself because because I spent a lot of days here, especially when I couldn’t play,” Thompson said. “To see [Warriors director of sports medicine and performance] Rick Celebrini, that made me happy again. To take in the crowd and the arena, I just took that moment for myself because I worked so hard to get back to this, to feeling like this, that I feel like I owed myself a second just to soak it all in.”
Before his big night at Chase, Thompson took a little time for a trip back in time. He drove by his old neighborhood, had dinner at a friend’s house in Oakland, took a ride through downtown and made his way past Oracle Arena where he got his NBA start.
“It was very surreal because I was 21 years old when I came here,” Thompson said. “To see the city and the towns, always special and so many good memories.”
