SAN FRANCISCO — This time, Dallas Mavericks guard Klay Thompson made the most out of his second trip back to the Bay, driving by his old East Bay neighborhood, having dinner at a friend’s house and driving by old haunts like downtown Oakland and Oakland Arena, formerly known as Oracle.
“It was very surreal,” Thompson said of returning to face his former team, the Golden State Warriors, again. “Because I was 21 years old when I came here and to see The City and The Town is always special. So many good memories.”
A much more settled down Thompson made a difference for the Mavericks in their second meeting against Golden State, a 143-133 victory. Thompson scored 29 points, knocking down 7 of 11 from deep as part of a 3-point extravaganza that saw the Warriors and Mavericks combine to make 48 3s, the most in a game in NBA history, according to ESPN Research.
“We gave up 46 [points] in the first quarter and we’re playing upstream the rest of the way,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a box score like this. We go 27-for-54 from 3, 39 assists, 10 turnovers, and it felt like we were never really in the game.
“We cut it to five a couple times, guys kept fighting but they controlled the entire game on a night where we made 27 3s and didn’t turn the ball over. It’s a modern NBA, it’s a different world, it’s a different game. And 10 years ago, you see that kind of offensive stat sheet for the team, I’d say we win that game by 20, maybe 30.”
The Warriors had no answer for Luka Doncic, who had 45 points, 13 assists, 11 rebounds, three steals and two blocks.
And Thompson capitalized when his opportunities came. After drawing a loud applause from the home crowd when the visitor’s starting lineup was announced, the shooting guard made 9-of-14 overall and looked more comfortable.
The last time the Mavericks were here on Nov. 12, Thompson was returning to play his former team for the first time after spending his entire career with the Warriors, who drafted him 11th overall in 2011. It was a massive celebration of the sharpshooter who helped Golden State win four championships.
Warriors employees lined up along the walls of the ramp where the visiting team arrives into Chase Center and saluted Thompson with a tip of a captain’s hat, which was distributed to fans that night because of Thompson’s love for sailing on his boat.
That set the tone for a very emotional night for Thompson, who made 7-for-17 from the field, including six triples, for 22 points in a 120-117 loss to the Warriors.
This time, there were a few captain’s hats in the stands but not the entire building like last time.
“Way easier,” Thompson said of this second game against his old team. “Especially not seeing all the captain’s hats. I saw a few of those. Much easier. Felt more settled in than the first time I was out here.”
Dallas has won 12 of its last 14 games. Meanwhile, the Warriors have slumped after a 12-3 start, dropping eight of their last 10. Help is on the way as Golden State made a trade to acquire point guard Dennis Schroder. The deal became official on Sunday with Schroder expected to take his physical and practice with the team on Tuesday.
With Thompson gone, the Warriors have been looking for another scorer to go with Stephen Curry.
Thompson is settling in with his new team and new life, which means having to guard Curry whenever the two face each other. They don’t meet again until two games in February.
“It’s different but I am getting more accustomed to it with each time we face each other,” Thompson said of guarding Curry. “We guarded each other plenty of times in practices and scrimmages. You always cherish the moments you get to face the best players. It’s cool I get to say I guarded Steph like I guarded Kobe [Bryant] and KD [Kevin Durant]. It’s another story I get to tell.”
