Klay Thompson sets team 3-point record in his Mavs debut

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DALLAS (AP) – Klay Thompson was talking to Tony Romo during a break early in the fourth quarter, just before he was wide open for a three-pointer, he paused, dribbled once, paused again to line up the shot and made it.

The debut in Dallas was a lot better than the finale of Thompson's 13 seasons with Golden State.

Thompson set a franchise record with six 3-pointers in his debut and scored 22 points while playing alongside Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving for the first time on Thursday night in the Mavericks' 120-109 victory over the San Antonio Spurs in both teams' opening game.

“The feelings were a lot of nervousness, fear, for a few minutes, then you see one go through and you feel great,” Thompson said. “Great debut. It’s only one game in October, but it feels good to have the first game behind us.”

.@KlayThompson set a franchise record for most 3-pointers made in a Mavs debut 💦

Not too shabby, Captain Klay.#MFFL pic.twitter.com/MavMaf8HGk

– Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) October 25, 2024

After missing all 10 of his shots in his last game with the Warriors in a loss in the play-in tournament in April, Thompson made his first two shots for the defending Western Conference champions, both inside the arc.

Like the sluggish Dallas team that shot 36% in the first half, Thompson missed his next four shots before hitting his first three-pointers in a second-half preview.

Thompson scored 14 points after halftime, going 4 of 5 from distance, while Dallas shot 13 of 21 from 3-point range after going just 6 of 23 in the first half. The five-time All-Star and four-time champion with the Warriors also had seven rebounds and three steals.

The 3 after talking to Romo, a former Dallas Cowboys quarterback who was sitting courtside, came during a 16-3 run early in the fourth quarter that gave the Mavericks their first 20-point lead.

While the break and dribble were something new to the Dallas crowd, Thompson said he has done it on occasion throughout his career.

“When you're getting ready to shoot the ball and you're so wide open, sometimes you think about it too much,” Thompson said. “But I heard that Luka was running across the floor. I’m glad I did it and didn’t make him look stupid.”

Thompson finished the game 7-of-13 overall and 6-of-10 from 3 games, while Doncic had 28 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists.

The only assist for Thompson came when he caught a handoff off a screen and looked like he was going to pull it forward from the 3. Instead, he drove briefly before passing back to Irving, who hit the 3 en route to 15 points.

“It’s easy to play with a guy like that,” Doncic said of Thompson. “It makes your life easier. It makes my life and Kai's life easier, it makes the whole team's life easier. There's a lot of space. It’s great.”