SAN FRANCISCO — The Dallas Mavericks had plenty to distract them Tuesday night.
They wanted to win the high-stakes opening game of the NBA Cup, avoid a third consecutive defeat and give Klay Thompson the homecoming he desired. The Warriors wanted to continue their dominant start to the season and send their former teammate packing with a loss.
Stephen Curry’s elite fourth-quarter shot-making ensured Golden State got what it wanted — a 120-117 win.
Curry, with Dereck Lively II draped all over him, danced with his dribble into a step-back before launching a 3-point heave that gave the Warriors a four-point lead with 27 seconds left. Golden State’s lone Splash Brother placed his hands under his head in his signature “Night, night” celebration.
Dallas countered quickly with Quentin Grimes drilling a 3-pointer and falling to the court with 21 seconds left. The Mavericks thought Grimes was fouled, but play continued. A couple of Curry free throws officially put Dallas to bed.
“It hurts to be on the other side of his flurries,” Thompson said after the game. “The guy got hot and made some ridiculous shots, and being on the other end, it sucks.”
Thompson and Curry embraced at midcourt after the final buzzer, the lasting picture of a night full of praise for the former Warrior. Five minutes earlier, it appeared Thompson would lead the Mavericks to a much-needed victory. He drilled his sixth 3-pointer of the night over Curry to give Dallas a five-point lead with just over five minutes remaining.
“It was fun to match up with Steph,” Thompson said. “I mean, we guarded each other plenty of times in practice, the Team USA camps, and All-Star games. A real competitive NBA game was pretty surreal, but after a few minutes, it was just basketball.”
He tied a season-high 22 points in his return to San Francisco, second to Luka Doncic’s team-high 31. After a quiet scoring night through the first three quarters, Kyrie Irving increased his offensive assertiveness and scored nine of his 21 points in the fourth quarter to help erase a 13-point deficit.
It was the first time all season that Doncic, Irving and Thompson each scored at least 20 points.
Despite the loss, Thompson’s return to the Bay Area could be considered a success. He had several moments that made his former fanbase cheer. He honored Curry’s signature shimmy celebration after his second triple of the night. He brought back his “3-point goggles” to celebrate his momentum-shifting sixth from beyond the arc.
Thompson’s former Warriors teammates relished the opportunity to play against him for the first time since he joined the Mavericks in the offseason. Draymond Green forced Thompson into a 3-pointer that missed the entire rim and erupted with a yell midway through the third quarter. Curry followed his “night night” celebration with an animated scream into the television cameras.
Thompson next visits San Francisco with the Mavericks on Feb. 12, and it’s hard to imagine that game matching the intensity Tuesday at the Chase Center, where the atmosphere felt like the playoffs, though with fewer implications. Dallas dropped to 5-6 overall and 0-1 in Group Play of the second annual NBA Cup.
The Mavericks have three more Group Play games against the Denver Nuggets, New Orleans Pelicans and Memphis Grizzlies, and wins are needed to qualify for the semifinal round in Las Vegas. The third leg of their road trip stops in Utah against the Jazz, who are tied for the second-worst record in the NBA.
For Dallas’ sake, having lost three straight, the matchup against a non-contender couldn’t have arrived at a better time.
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