On the anniversary of his lowest moment, Klay Thompson delivered redemption. And in doing so, he kept the Dallas Mavericks’ chaotic season alive.
Thompson scored 16 of his 23 points in a dominant second quarter Wednesday night as the Mavericks cruised past the Sacramento Kings, 120-106, in the Western Conference Play-In Tournament’s 9th vs. 10th place matchup. The win sends Dallas to Memphis, where they will face the Grizzlies on Friday for the West’s eighth and final playoff spot. The winner will earn a date with the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder in the opening round on Sunday.
Exactly one year after he went 0-for-10 in a play-in loss for the Golden State Warriors—his final game with the team—Thompson came alive in the same building where he was haunted a season ago. He buried four 3-pointers in the second quarter alone, sparking a 44-point blitz that turned a tight contest into a blowout.
“It’s poetic,” Thompson said postgame. “I needed this. We needed this.”
Dallas opened the second quarter on a 20-6 run, capped by back-to-back triples from Thompson. The Kings never recovered. By halftime, the Mavericks led by 23, and the Golden 1 Center crowd, which entered the night hopeful for a late-season spark, fell into stunned silence.
For Dallas, the victory offered a brief reprieve from a season mired in turmoil. In a blockbuster midseason trade, the Mavericks sent franchise cornerstone Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for veteran big man Anthony Davis. The move drew heavy criticism from fans and pundits alike. Shortly thereafter, star point guard Kyrie Irving was lost for the season with a knee injury, derailing any realistic hopes of returning to the NBA Finals.
Despite it all, the Mavericks find themselves one win away from the playoffs.
“It’s been a rollercoaster,” said Mavericks coach Jason Kidd. “But we’re still fighting. Tonight was about resilience, and Klay showed that better than anyone.”
Thompson’s resurgence was complemented by Davis’ 19 points and 13 rebounds, while role players like Tim Hardaway Jr. and Josh Green helped keep Sacramento at bay in the second half.
On the Kings’ side, DeMar DeRozan poured in 33 points, and Zach LaVine added 20. But it wasn’t enough to overcome the team’s turbulent season, which saw head coach Mike Brown fired in December and longtime leader De’Aaron Fox traded to the Spurs at the deadline.
After the game, reports surfaced that general manager Monte McNair and the organization had mutually agreed to part ways, according to a person with knowledge of the situation who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Sacramento has now missed the playoffs in 18 of the past 19 seasons—a streak that continues to cast a long shadow over the franchise’s direction.
As for Dallas, Friday night in Memphis offers a chance to salvage something from a wild campaign. Win, and they’re in. Lose, and the chaos continues.
For now, the Mavericks ride the wave of Klay Thompson’s redemption—at least for one more game.
