The Dallas Mavericks found themselves in an early hole Wednesday night, trailing the Sacramento Kings by two after the first quarter. But by halftime, they were up 23 — thanks to a vintage heat check from Klay Thompson.
Thompson exploded for 16 of his 23 points in a blistering 44-19 second quarter, propelling the Mavericks to a 120-106 win and a spot in Friday’s Play-In finale against the Memphis Grizzlies (9:30 PM ET, ESPN). The sharpshooter knocked down all four of his threes in that frame within just three minutes, flipping the momentum with the kind of run only he can deliver.
“He’s a champion,” head coach Jason Kidd said postgame. “I thought he had great looks that didn’t go down, but he continued to keep playing and continued to keep making plays for others. When you do that, good things happen.”
While Klay lit up the perimeter, Anthony Davis anchored the interior. The All-Star big man poured in 27 points, grabbed nine rebounds, and blocked three shots, improving to 4-0 in his career in Play-In games. Davis and Daniel Gafford combined for a +21 on the night, adding five blocks between them to stifle Sacramento’s attack.
The performance adds another chapter to Thompson’s legacy in elimination settings. Coming into the night, he had career averages of 20.1 points per game and 42.6% from three in such scenarios — both higher than his typical postseason marks.
With Wednesday’s barrage, Thompson has now made four or more consecutive threes in a playoff game 107 times — second only to Steph Curry (165), and ahead of legends like Ray Allen (89), Damian Lillard (83), and James Harden (75).
Dallas now turns its focus to Friday’s showdown with Memphis — one win away from locking in their postseason spot.