A lot has changed for Klay Thompson in the past year, as not only did he move on from Golden State to Dallas, but has been on a rollercoaster ride during an emotional, but relatively unsuccessful first season in Texas. However, after last night’s game, things could change for the best.
During the first quarter of Wednesday play-in tournament clash between Mavericks and Kings, the veteran went scoreless. Nevertheless, the point guard bounced back with an impactful second half. “That kind of lifted the lid off the rim for me,” Thompson said. “So that was nice.”
The rest of that night, in which Dallas qualified to the play-in’s next round after an 120-106 win, we saw vintage Klay take over. The 35-year-old ended his performance with 23 points on 8-of-11 shooting, including 5-of-7 from 3-point range. “It did feel good to exorcise those demons in here. Man!” he said postgame.
The former Warriors sharpshooter is coming from a rather positive first season in Dallas, averaging 14.0 points per game and shot 39.1% from beyond the arc. “We know,” said teammate Anthony Davis, who finished with 27 points, 9 rebounds, 3 blocks.”We all watch basketball, and we know how tough it was for him losing here the last time as a Warrior.”
The ex-Lakers star then added: “The way he played tonight, you can tell it was a lot of emotion for him and wanted to get this win. We wanted to get the win for him, so I’m glad he played well and glad we got the win.”
Now the Mavericks have earned the right to fight for another day and claim the Western Conference’s final playoff berth, when they play this Friday in Memphis. The clash for the 8th and last seed will take place in Memphis.
“I’m still alive. I’m excited,” Klay admitted. “I get to go to Memphis. It was really fun tonight because you could just be fully immersed in the experience, and we’ve had a tumultuous season, to say the least. The injury bug has struck us like I’ve never seen before, but we’re still here playing postseason basketball.”
