The Dallas Mavericks kicked off the 2024-25 NBA season with a strong 120-109 victory over the San Antonio Spurs. Following an impressive Thursday night performance, the Mavericks are looking poised for a serious run at the Finals. After the game, Luka Doncic offered high praise for Klay Thompson, the Mavericks’ new addition from the Golden State Warriors.
This game marked the first time Doncic and Thompson shared the court as teammates (and also Doncic’s season debut). While Doncic has yet to find his top form, he and Thompson led the scoring with 28 and 22 points, respectively. When ClutchPoints’ Joey Mistretta asked Doncic about Thompson in the post-game conference, he had nothing but admiration for his new teammate:
“It was great, man. Just knocking down a lot of shots. He was moving out there, he was playing great defense, too. I’m just glad we got him… I mean, it’s easy to play with a guy like that. It makes your life easier. You got to find him. That’s what I’m saying, it makes my life and Kai’s (Kyrie Irving) easier. It makes the whole team’s life easier. It’s a lot of space so it’s great.”
Doncic was sidelined during the whole NBA preseason due to a calf injury suffered during the Mavs training camp. “It doesn’t hurt a lot… It’s fine now, it’s perfect… I’m good,” said the star before the season opening game against the Spurs.
Klay Thompson #31 of the Dallas Mavericks congratulates Luka Doncic #77 on his three-point basket against the San Antonio Spurs during the third quarter at American Airlines Center on October 24, 2024 in Dallas, Texas.
Although not yet at his peak, Doncic showed flashes of what the Mavericks had been missing in the preseason. In 36 minutes, he led all scorers with 28 points, shooting 5-for-14 on two-pointers and 4-for-11 from three-point range, and an overall 36% conversion rate. He also recorded 10 rebounds, 8 assists, and 1 steal, with several assists setting up Thompson for three-pointers.
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Thompson’s reaction to playing alongside Doncic
Before Thursday’s game, Thompson had not yet shared the court with Doncic in any of his three appearances with the Mavericks. With Doncic back, Thompson’s game was clearly boosted compared to preseason, displaying a record-breaker performance in Dallas.
“I mean, it was great to be out there with Luka. What an incredible talent. It doesn’t make any sense… What we’re taught growing up, as far as being the best basketball player, is you got to jump the highest, you got to run the fastest, but somehow Luka defies that and plays at his own speed,” Thompson said after the game.
Hopefully we can elevate each other’s games and our squad. It’s a great start to a long year but it’s something that we can build off,” he concluded. It’s clear that Doncic is the partner Thompson needed on the team. Although it’s only the season opener, if the Mavs’ stars can stay healthy, Dallas looks poised to be a serious title contender.
