A year ago, Klay Thompson went scoreless in a deflating 118-94 play-in loss to the Sacramento Kings. It was a game that turned out to be his final game as a member of the Golden State Warriors.
Back in the same situation, the four-time champion made sure to atone for that dismal performance while wearing a different uniform.
Thompson scored 16 of Dallas’ scorching 44-point second quarter that spelled the difference in a 120-106 romp of the Kings, keeping the Mavericks’ playoff aspirations alive, Thursday, April 17.
— Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) April 17, 2025
Dallas move on to the next round of the play-in tournament, meeting the Memphis Grizzlies for the West no. 8 seed. The winner of that duel earns a chance to clash with the top-seed OKC Thunder in the first round.
The @dallasmavs move on 😤
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) April 17, 2025
They'll face Memphis in Friday's #SoFiPlayIn Tournament game for the final #NBAPlayoffs spot in the West ??
The 35-year-old made all his five shots, including four threes, in that game-changing second quarter when the Mavericks held Sacramento to just 19 points to wrest a 71-48 halftime lead. Thompson finished with 23 markers and five triples.
KLAY THOMPSON: 16 PTS IN THE 2ND 😮?💨
— NBA (@NBA) April 17, 2025
5/5 FGM
4/4 3PM
Star big man Anthony Davis bullied his way to a 27-point, nine-rebound outing while Brandon Williams--who averaged just 8.3 points in the regular season--came up big for Dallas off the bench with 17 markers in just 18 minutes.
On the other hand, DeMar DeRozan topscored the Kings with 33 but Sacramento committed 18 turnovers that led to 18 Dallas points.
Sacramento now missed the playoffs for the second straight year after qualifying for the postseason in 2023.
(With reports from Pao Ambat)
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[Editor's note: This article was written by a member of the One Sports Digital with the help of AI, and then checked by the staff to ensure accuracy.]
