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Tim MacMahon, ESPN Staff WriterOct 11, 2024, 12:14 AM ET
- Joined ESPNDallas.com in September 2009
- Covers the Dallas Cowboys and Dallas Mavericks
- Appears regularly on ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM
DALLAS — The butterflies fluttered in Klay Thompson‘s stomach for days before Thursday night’s preseason game, his first NBA appearance that wasn’t in a Golden State Warriors uniform.
“I haven’t been that nervous, I don’t think, since the 2015 Finals Game 1,” Thompson said after scoring 10 points in 18 first-half minutes during the Mavs’ 107-102 loss to the Utah Jazz. “It felt so good just to go out there and play and work those jitters out. It was a new experience, and it’s a natural feeling when you’ve been somewhere so long and to be somewhere new in a new environment. To finally put the uniform on, it felt amazing.”
Thompson spent the first 13 seasons of his career with the Warriors, playing a major role in four NBA championships as half of the “Splash Brothers” alongside Stephen Curry. But he opted to join Dallas as a free agent this summer.
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“I’m just excited to experience a new chapter,” said Thompson, who rested during the Mavs’ preseason opener Monday night. “It’s going to be special. I just know it.”
Thursday was Thompson’s first time wearing No. 31 in the NBA, as his familiar No. 11 belongs to Kyrie Irving in Dallas. Thompson chose his new number as a tribute to Hall of Fame shooting guard Reggie Miller, a childhood favorite whom Thompson is likely to pass for fifth place on the all-time 3-point list this season. But Thompson also appreciates its historic relevance in Dallas. It was last worn for the Mavs by Jason Terry, the 2009 Sixth Man of the Year who was a key part of Dallas’ 2006 Finals team and 2011 championship squad.
Terry, who was on the visitors bench Thursday night as a Jazz assistant coach, said he approves of Thompson wearing his old number.
“The fact that he got the headband on, too, I’m elated,” Terry, who wore a headband throughout his playing career, told ESPN. “All I said [to Thompson] is all he owes me is to make some shots. That’s it. Do the number right, that’s it. Make some shots. And he’ll do it. I think he’s going to play with a lot to prove. Obviously he did some great things, historical things with Golden State, and he’s looking to turn a page and go to another chapter and make another mark on his legacy here with Dallas.”
The American Airlines Center crowd roared when Thompson was introduced with the Mavs’ starting lineup. The home fans had to wait until the second quarter for his first bucket, as he missed his first three shot attempts during his nine-minute stint in the opening quarter, splitting a pair of free throws.
On the opening possession of the second quarter, after Thompson said his nerves calmed during a brief rest on the bench, he curled off an off-ball screen and launched a catch-and-shoot jumper from a bit to the right of the top of the arc. He got a shooter’s bounce, as the ball lipped off the rim and kissed the glass before going in the basket. It was one of three 3-pointers he hit in the quarter.
“For him tonight, there’s a lot of positives,” Mavs coach Jason Kidd said. “He has some great looks that we all think that he’s capable of making, but he just never rushes. He never forces anything. He probably turned down some shots that we would encourage for him to take, but we trust that he’s making the right decision.”
Thompson said he felt some back tightness but would be ready for Monday night’s preseason game at the LA Clippers.
Mavs superstar Luka Doncic, who has missed both preseason games because of a left calf contusion, will sit out again Monday but could participate in the “dress rehearsal” preseason finale Oct. 17 against the Milwaukee Bucks, according to Kidd.
