Two of perhaps the most prominent figures in the Golden State Warriors’ history found themselves in a rather unusual sequence right off the bat.
In the first play of the game, Klay Thompson demanded the ball on the low post against the player who perhaps knew his game the most, Stephen Curry.
He got fouled, sank two free throws and got on board quickly.
It didn’t take long for Curry to respond, hitting a wide open three over Thompson’s face from the left wing in the ensuing possession.
First two possessions of the game: Klay Thompson backs down Stephen Curry for a shooting foul, then Steph hits a three over Klay! 😳💦
— Courtside Buzz (@CourtsideBuzzX) November 13, 2024
While it was odd to see arguably the greatest shooting backcourt in history playing against one another for the first time ever, it was Curry who had the last laugh in the end.
Curry scored the final 12 Warrior points in a clutch performance as Golden State escaped Thompson and the Dallas Mavericks, 120-117, on Wednesday, November 13 (PH Time).
Stephen Curry DROPS 37 PTS, 9 AST, 6 REB to spoil the Klay homecoming 😳
— Basketball Forever (@bballforever_) November 13, 2024
Golden State Warriors beat the Mavericks 120-117!
Trailing 114-118, Curry’s seven-point swing turned the tides in favor of the Warriors, retaking the lead at 115-114 with 1:49 seconds left.
STEPH 3.
— NBA (@NBA) November 13, 2024
DRAYMOND BLOCK.
STEPH LAYUP.
10-2 @warriors run for the lead... under 2 minutes to play on TNT!
He then hit a clutch triple on top of the arc to pad Golden State’s advantage to four points, 118-114 as 27.1 ticks remained.
STEPH IN THE CLUTCH 🥶@warriors LEAD!
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) November 13, 2024
Curry hit two clutch freebies to make it a 120-117 game with 12.2 seconds before Luka Doncic's potential game-tying triple hit all board to complete a rousing Warriors win.
STEPH 12-3 RUN TO END IT.
— NBA (@NBA) November 13, 2024
WHAT A GAME IN THE BAY.
The superstar guard finished with a team-high 37 points, including 23 in the second half alone to will his squad in the fourth quarter. Buddy Hield and Deandre Melton each scored 14 apiece.
Golden State jumped out of the gates to start the second half with Curry leading a strong Warriors’ 20-3 run to wrest control of the game at 79-66.
A 37-26 third quarter put the Warriors up by seven, 96-89, entering the final frame.
Meanwhile, Dallas, who trailed by as much as 13 points in the game, rode its ‘Big Three’ in Doncic, Kyrie Irving, and Thompson but fell short.
LD doin' a little bit of everything 🪄
— Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) November 13, 2024
Doncic finished with 31 markers, Thompson added 22, while Irving had 21 but it all went to naught.
In his first visit to the Bay Area since signing with the Mavs in the offseason, Thompson was showered with appreciation from the organization he helped win four titles in the last 10 seasons.
About 400 Warriors employees greeted and cheered for Klay Thompson in captain hats as he walked into Chase Center 🥹
— 95.7 The Game (@957thegame) November 13, 2024
Moments later, Golden State gave a two-minute tribute to Thompson in the pre-game introductions, highlighting his accomplishments across a 13-year span with the team.
"Thank you Splash Brother. Thank you Klay. Salute to Captain Klay."
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) November 13, 2024
The Warriors tribute video for Klay Thompson 🫶
Thompson hit his first three of the night while sprinting down the left wing off a Doncic feed late in the opening frame.
Klay Thompson with his first three back in Golden State 🙌
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) November 13, 2024
His back-to-back threes capped off a 16-2 Dallas run midway through the second frame, helping the Mavs overturn a 32-39 deficit into a 48-41 lead.
Captain Klay is FEELING it 💦 pic.twitter.com/mGR0vJ2Vw2
— NBA TV (@NBATV) November 13, 2024
