Klay Thompson's Mavericks debut alongside Luka Doncic was historic

Whatever butterflies Klay Thompson felt before his Mavericks debut quickly dissipated. As did the fears Dallas fans had about how the new star would mesh with their incumbent.

“After a few minutes you see someone coming through – you feel great,” the rookie striker said in his post-match press conference.

The Mavericks' 120-109 victory over Victor Wembanya and the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday night wasn't just great – it was historic.

Thompson, the five-time All-Star and four-time NBA champion, wearing a non-Warriors jersey for the first time in his 13-year career, set a franchise record with six 3-pointers, the most ever a Mavericks debut.

He finished the contest with 22 points, seven rebounds and one assist.

“Feeling the welcome of the city – that’s all I needed to feel at home,” Thompson said after the game. “You just get your first taste of something every now and then.”

Luka Doncic did all the things Thompson was used to seeing Steph Curry do in Golden State — mostly, drawing the eyes and ears of defenders and giving everyone else the field.

The Mavericks superstar assisted on four of Thompson's shots and finished the contest with 28 points of his own on 9 of 25 shooting

Doncic missed the preseason game with a bruised left calf and described himself as “rusty,” although Thompson saw no such thing.

“What an incredible talent,” he said of last season’s top scorer. “I mean, that makes no sense at all because what we were taught growing up to be the best basketball player is that you have to jump the highest and run the fastest. But somehow Luka defies it.

“He plays at his own pace and manipulates the game better than I've ever seen anyone do. And it’s great to be a recipient of that and get some great looks.”

Doncic, on the other hand, assessed the chemistry between them more succinctly: “It’s easy to play with a guy like that.”

One game hardly represents a sample size, but Thursday night's win bodes well for a Mavericks team that reached the NBA Finals in 2023-24.

As Thompson said, “We have really big goals. Therefore, a home win will not satisfy any of us.”