DALLAS — Klay Thompson chatted up Tony Romo during a break early in the fourth quarter, not long before being so wide open for a 3-pointer, he paused, dribbled once, paused again to line up the shot and made it.
The Dallas debut was quite a bit better than the finale from Thompson’s 13 seasons with Golden State.
Thompson set a franchise record in a debut with six 3-pointers and scored 22 points playing alongside Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving for the first time Thursday night (Friday, October 25, 2024, PH time) in the Mavericks’ 120-109 victory over the San Antonio Spurs in the opener for both teams.
“The feelings were a lot of nerves, anxiousness, for a few minutes, then you see one go through and you feel great,” Thompson said. “Great debut. It’s only one game in October, but it feels good to get the first one out of the way.”
Thompson scored 14 points after the break and was 4 of 5 from long range, as Dallas went 13 of 21 from 3 after making just 6 of 23 in the first half. The five-time All-Star and four-time champ with the Warriors also had seven rebounds and three steals.
The 3 after the chat with Romo, a former Dallas Cowboys quarterback sitting courtside, came during a 16-3 run early in the fourth quarter that gave the Mavericks their first 20-point lead.
Thompson finished 7 of 13 overall and 6 of 10 from 3, while Doncic had 28 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists.
The lone assist for Thompson came when he took a handoff coming off a screen and looked like he was going to pull up from 3. Instead, he drove briefly before passing back to Irving, who hit the 3 on his way to 15 points. / AP
