Klay Thompson connected on nine 3-pointers for 40 points in a 128-120 Warriors win over the Mavericks.
GAME LEADERS
Klay Thompson ended the splash party like how he started it – on fire – and the Warriors survived a late comeback attempt by the Mavericks in Friday night’s 128-120 win at Oracle Arena. The 2016 Three-Point Contest champ knocked down four treys in the final period, the last of which proved to be a dagger after the Mavericks had previously trimmed an 18-point deficit down to as little as three in the fourth quarter.
Thompson finished with 40 points and connected on nine 3-pointers in a game that saw an NBA-record 39 made treys between both teams. Stephen Curry knocked down five triples of his own on a 33-point, eight-assist, eight-rebound night, and Draymond Green was 3-for-5 from distance in another quality all-around performance (19 points, 10 assists, seven rebounds).
Offense was aplenty for both teams, as each team failed to score over 30 points in just one quarter. The Warriors shot 48.9 percent from the field, 46.7 percent on 3-pointers (21-for-45) and dished out 30 assists while picking up a season-low seven turnovers.
It was the 38th game this season with 30-plus assists for the Warriors, but the most memorable assist happened before the opening tip. During a pregame ceremony, Stephen Curry presented former Warriors forward David Lee with his 2015 NBA Championship ring, and Lee was truly touched by the gesture, just as he was by the long-lasting standing ovation during pregame introductions.
Lee finished with 12 points, nine rebounds and six assists in his first game back at Oracle Arena since his Warriors days, and his Mavericks teammate Wesley Matthews had 18 of his 26 points in the third quarter when Dallas started their comeback, but it wasn’t enough to stop the Splash Brothers and company.
It was the second-straight 30-point game for Thompson, who passed his single-season career-high in made 3-pointers and now has 246 on the season. The team as a whole now has 938 made treys this season, another new NBA record. With the win, the Warriors improved to 65-7 and became just the second team in NBA history to record at least 65 regular season wins in consecutive seasons.
The Warriors will look to up that total when their homestand continues against the 76ers on Easter Sunday (special 5 p.m. tipoff).