Klay Thompson’s Mavericks debut was historic alongside Luka Doncic

Whatever butterflies Klay Thompson felt going into his Mavericks debut evaporated quickly. As did immoderate trepidation Dallas fans felt astir really nan caller prima would mesh pinch their incumbent one.

“After a fewer minutes, you spot 1 spell through— you consciousness great,” nan freshly minted guardant said successful his post-game property conference. 

The Mavericks’ 120-109 triumph complete Victor Wembanya and nan San Antonio Spurs connected Thursday nighttime wasn’t conscionable awesome — it was historic. 

Thompson, nan five-time All-Star and four-time NBA champion who donned a non-Warriors jersey for nan first clip successful his 13-year career, group a franchise grounds pinch six 3-pointers — nan astir ever successful a Mavericks debut. 

He vanished nan title pinch 22 points, 7 rebounds and 1 assist.

“To consciousness nan reception from nan city— that’s each I needed to consciousness astatine home,” Thompson said aft nan game. “You only get nan first clip of thing [every] truthful often.”

Luka Doncic did each nan things Thompson had grown accustomed to Steph Curry doing successful Golden State— mainly, drafting nan eyes and ears of defenders and opening up nan level for everyone else. 

The Mavericks’ superstar assisted connected 4 of Thompson’s buckets and vanished nan title pinch 28 points of his ain connected 9-of-25 shooting 

Doncic missed preseason play pinch a near calf contusion and called himself “rusty,” though Thompson saw thing of nan sort.

“What an unthinkable talent,” he said of past season’s scoring champion. “I mean, it doesn’t make immoderate sense, because what we’re taught increasing up arsenic acold arsenic being nan champion hoops subordinate is you sewage to jump nan highest, you sewage to tally nan fastest. But somehow, Luka defies that. 

“He plays astatine his ain velocity and manipulates nan crippled arsenic bully arsenic I’ve ever seen anyone do it. And it’s awesome to beryllium a recipient of that and get awesome looks.”

Doncic, for his part, was much succinct successful his information of their chemistry: “It’s easy to play pinch a feline for illustration that.”

One crippled hardly constitutes a sample size, but Thursday night’s triumph bodes good for a Mavericks team that reached nan NBA Finals successful 2023-24. 

As Thompson said, “we person really large goals. truthful 1 triumph astatine location is not going to fulfill immoderate of us.”