DALLAS — Klay Thompson chatted up Tony Romo during a break early in the fourth quarter, not long before being so wide open for a three-pointer, he paused, dribbled once, paused again to line up the shot and made it.
The Dallas debut was quite a bit better than the finale from Thompson’s 13 seasons with Golden State.
Thompson set a franchise record in a debut with six three-pointers and scored 22 points playing alongside Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving for the first time Thursday night in the Mavericks’ 120-109 victory over the San Antonio Spurs in the opener for both teams.
“The feelings were a lot of nerves, anxiousness, for a few minutes, then you see one go through and you feel great,” Thompson said. “Great debut. It’s only one game in October, but it feels good to get the first one out of the way.”
After missing all 10 of his shots in the final game with the Warriors in a play-in tournament loss in April, Thompson made his first two with the defending Western Conference champions, both inside the arc.
Like the sluggish Dallas team that shot 36 per cent in the first half, Thompson missed his next four shots before hitting his first three-pointer in what turned out to be a preview of the second half.
Thompson scored 14 points after the break and was four of five from long range, as Dallas went 13 of 21 from three after making just six of 23 in the first half. The five-time All-Star and four-time champ with the Warriors also had seven rebounds and three steals.
The three after the chat with Romo, a former Dallas Cowboys quarterback sitting courtside, came during a 16-3 run early in the fourth quarter that gave the Mavericks their first 20-point lead.
While the pause and the dribble were something new for the Dallas crowd, Thompson said he’s done it occasionally throughout his career.
“When you’re getting ready to shoot the ball and you’re that wide open, sometimes you overthink it,” Thompson said. “I heard Luka was running down the floor, though. Happy I made it, and made him not look stupid.”
Thompson finished seven of 13 overall and 6 of 10 from three, while Doncic had 28 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists.
The lone assist for Thompson came when he took a handoff coming off a screen and looked like he was going to pull up from three. Instead, he drove briefly before passing back to Irving, who hit the three-pointer on his way to 15 points.
“It’s easy to play with a guy like that,” Doncic said of Thompson. “It makes your life easier. It makes my life and Kai’s easier, it makes the whole team’s life easier. It’s a lot of space. It’s great.”