Mavericks' Klay Thompson does his best Stephen Curry impression in return

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In what was an incredible game befitting of the 2024 NBA Cup’s group of death, it was the Golden State Warriors that came out on top against the Dallas Mavericks, 120-117, as Klay Thompson faced his former team for the first time since joining the Mavs this past offseason. Stephen Curry proved that he truly is one of a kind, although Thompson at least did his part in approximating Curry’s impact especially in the first half of the game.

Thompson, who finished with 22 points on six made threes (7-17 overall, 6-12 from three), engaged in a bit of playful banter with Curry and the Warriors in the first half. After making two threes on consecutive possessions, the Mavericks sharpshooter was feeling himself and even busted out a shimmy to pay homage to his Splash Brother. And Curry, ever the animated person that he is, had a hilarious reaction all the way from the bench.

Klay Thompson hit Steph Curry’s celebration after drilling a triple

All Steph could do was shake his head pic.twitter.com/K2KRrvfQXf

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) November 13, 2024

Thompson may no longer be the star that he once was, but what he remains capable of is threatening opposing defenses from beyond the arc, with the Mavericks benefitting from it instead of a Warriors team that he was a huge part of for 13 seasons. Despite the Mavs’ loss, Thompson’s marksmanship from deep, having made half of his 12 three-point attempts on the night, should be a good sign for Dallas even as they fall below .500 for the first time this season.

The Mavericks simply could not weather an avalanche from Curry to end the game. Curry went on a personal 12-0 run to turn a 112-108 Warriors deficit into a 120-117 win, so in the end, it was the first and only unanimous MVP in NBA history who had the last laugh over his former backcourt mate.

Mavericks’ execution falters late as Stephen Curry steals one for the Warriors

With a little over four minutes to go in the game, the Mavericks took a seven-point lead (112-105) thanks to a dunk from Daniel Gafford. While a seven-point lead barely means anything in today’s NBA, the Mavs looked to be in control as they ramped up the aggression on the defensive end.

However, the Mavericks’ late-game execution from the four-minute mark onwards was painful to watch. The Warriors forced Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving to give up the ball and let the others make plays, and suffice to say, this ended up stifling the Mavs’ offense. On consecutive possessions, Gafford was whistled for an offensive foul and then had his shot blocked. And then a costly turnover from Klay Thompson gave the Dubs a chance to take the lead, which they did on a Stephen Curry bucket.

For what it’s worth, Thompson had a golden chance to regain the advantage, but he missed an open three on the ensuing possession. This paved the way for Curry’s dagger triple over Dereck Lively II.

That makes it three straight heartbreaking crunch-time defeats for the Mavericks, and they will have to regroup on Thursday when they take on the hapless Utah Jazz.

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