Warriors Win on Klay’s Homecoming with Curry’s Clutch Performance: 'I’ll Never Take This for Granted'

The Mavericks couldn’t overcome clutch-time struggles, falling short in a game that marked Klay Thompson’s first time back in Golden State as an opponent. The night began with hundreds of Warriors employees lining up in “Captain Klay” hats—a tribute to Thompson’s love for boating—to welcome him from the bus. The fans donned hats and cheered Thompson during a tribute video.

“It ended up being a really cool experience. I appreciate the fans a lot,” Thompson said. “The captain’s hat was a great touch since I’m such a passionate boater. I’m grateful for the fans and will never take this for granted.”

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Once the game began, however, the emotions turned to high-level basketball as the Mavericks and Warriors traded leads, with each team displaying intensity and grit. Thompson seemed unfazed by the sentimentality, delivering a strong performance with 22 points, including 6-of-12 from beyond the arc. His shooting helped keep the Mavericks competitive throughout the game.

“It was fun to match up with Steph,” Thompson said of facing Curry as an opponent. “We’ve guarded each other in practices, Team USA camps, and All-Star games, but doing it in a real NBA game was surreal. After a few minutes, it was just basketball.”

Dončić Continues Early Off-Ball Adjustment

Dallas got off to a sluggish start, down 24-15, with four minutes left in the opening period. It wasn’t until Dončić initiated more of the offense and dialed up the aggression that the Mavericks began to make a run to cut into Golden State’s advantage. Dončić pushed the ball often, helping Dallas trail 33-27 at the end of the opening period, including a pass to Thompson for a pivotal transition three.

Early on, the Mavericks continued to begin with Luka Dončić more time off the ball than he had in previous seasons. Dončić and the team are still adjusting to this approach, understanding that they have struggled in the first quarters throughout the season with only 10 games under their belt entering tip-off.

“Looking at different places to have Luka off-ball, this team is different than in the past. When you look at the different players with varied skill sets, like Marshall (Naji Marshall), Ky (Kyrie Irving), and Klay (Thompson), they can all handle the ball,” Kidd said before the game. “So, we’re able to move pieces around in the first 10 games just to see how it looks. But the first quarters have been our worst quarters. Maybe we need to have Luka with the ball more, but we also haven’t shot the ball well in the first. We’re evaluating these factors.

Kidd described the approach as intended to reduce Dončić’s workload instead of dealing with full-court pressure. However, it requires an adjustment as they integrate Thompson to maximize the skill set of each of their main players fully. The belief is that Dončić is getting “great looks,” but shots weren’t falling at their usual rate. Regardless, it’s a process the team is working through.

“It’s easier for him off-ball because he doesn’t have to fight or carry the defender for 18 seconds. These are the kinds of things we’re assessing to find the best solutions,” Kidd explained. “He has to adjust with Klay and Ky; Ky went through this adjustment period, and Klay did too. We’ll see how it goes. Luka is getting great looks, and the team is, too, but we just haven’t made shots in the first quarter. If we can start with a few more baskets instead of playing from down eight or 10 points—we’re positive in the other three quarters—hopefully, we can get off to a good start tonight.”

Dončić continued his all-around impact with 31 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists in 41 minutes, even after recently nursing a groin strain. He was crucial in orchestrating Dallas’ offense, particularly as he adapted to playing more off the ball early in games—a theme he acknowledged postgame.

“I’m still adjusting a little bit. It’s way different this season,” Dončić said. “We have a lot of depth on the team. I’m still getting used to it, but I’m getting better at doing that stuff.” When asked about any specific aspects he needs to adjust, Dončić mentioned: “Just overall. Just playing without the ball. Just all of it.”

Both Teams Trade Surges

The Mavericks’ best stretch came in the second quarter when they scored 36 points. They outscored Golden State by a 10-point margin to go up 63-59 at the break. Dončić scored 10 points in the frame, with Daniel Gafford, Dereck Lively II, and Thompson combining for another 19. Dallas adjusted offensively after drawing frequent blitzes from Golden State’s defense, resulting in 4-on-3 situations.

However, much of the Mavericks’ success in the second quarter resulted from exploiting Curry being on the sideline. Dallas was outscored by three in the six minutes Curry played in the period, but Golden State was outscored by a 13-point margin when he was not on the court. This was a theme in the game, with the Warriors outscoring Dallas by a team-best 24 points when the superstar guard was on the floor versus being outscored by 21 in 13 minutes without him.

The problem for the Mavericks began when the Warriors came out of halftime on a 20-3 run to take a 79-66 edge midway through the third quarter. Golden State aggressively pushed the pace off the Mavericks’ missed shots and turnovers, often getting into the paint for finishes. Dallas did outscore the Warriors by a 23-17 margin for the remainder of the period, but that wasn’t a strong enough run to regain control.

Dončić continued to make an impact with an efficient 9 points in the third quarter by finding opportunities to get into the paint for finishes and floaters. The rest of the team scored only 17 points while shooting 6-of-16 overall, with Irving and Thompson struggling with only 7 points combined in this stretch.

After giving up a putback to Kevon Looney before the buzzer, Dallas was down 96-89 entering the final frame.

Curry’s Late-Game Heroics Shift Momentum

Irving turned his performance around in the fourth quarter and scored 21 points on an efficient 8-of-13 shooting on the night. He had 6 assists, providing a balanced scoring punch alongside Dončić. Irving’s off-the-dribble scoring and playmaking gave Dallas critical answers to Golden State’s aggressive defensive schemes by using his speed to beat blitzes and making the right play with the pass. He did most of his damage inside the perimeter after a 46-point performance in Denver.

As Dončić went scoreless in the fourth quarter, Irving and Thompson provided many timely shots and contributions—scoring or assisting on 26 of the Mavericks’ 28 points in the fourth quarter. The Mavericks led 114-108 after a thunderous dunk by Gafford with under four minutes left. But Curry, as he’s done countless times, took over in the clutch, scoring the Warriors’ final 12 points.

“Yeah, he was very clutch down the stretch,” Dončić said of Curry’s takeover. “I think we should have done a better job guarding him, even though he was shooting from big distances. But it’s Steph Curry—sometimes there’s just nothing you can do.”

Curry’s blitz started with a mid-range jumper and three-pointer that cut Dallas’ lead to one. After a brief exchange, he hit a high-arcing scoop layup to give the Warriors the lead. In the game’s decisive moment, Curry nailed a deep three-pointer with 26.4 seconds left, putting Golden State up 118-114 and sealing the win. Curry’s made three, including a sequence where he broke down Lively off the dribble in space before hitting a step-back, led to his iconic “night-night” celebration and a fired-up reaction to the Chase Center crowd.

“Just try to be decisive. We picked them apart for most of the game and when we got in trouble we were just a little sped up and rushed,” Curry said about his approach in the clutch. “They played their starters to start the fourth quarter and went on a little run. Then they took them out for maybe 30 seconds and into that timeout. So we knew if we could just get organized and obviously went pick-and-roll most of the time at the top with Luka and (Dereck) Lively. But you bring Lively away from the paint, get to the basket, and kick-outs, or if I have pull-up threes you kind of live with those shots.”

Curry explained his goal was to avoid playing in a crowd down the stretch, knowing he’d have to get a clean shot off. “But it’s just getting organized and trying to slow down on offense,” he said. “When you get rushed you kind of go into the teeth of the defense, you have no options and for me I was just trying to stay out of those types of situations down the stretch.”

Kidd noted Curry’s ability to control those high-stakes moments, saying, “Steph’s ability to play off the dribble and get to his spots is tough to defend. His tendencies can get you dancing, and if that happens, he’s going to get that three off… You saw his calmness as he got to his spot and hit a big three.”

Accustomed to being on the favorable side of Curry’s late-game heroics after 11 playing seasons as his teammate, Thompson mentioned “it hurts” to be on the other side. However, he’s looking forward to facing Golden State in future matchups.

“It hurts to be on the other side of one of his flurries. The guy got hot at the end and made some ridiculous shots,” Thompson said. “And on the other end, it sucks. But we play them three more times. Hopefully, we can learn from it.”

The Mavericks had a few empty possessions late that proved costly before Grimes’ late three. Thompson missed a three while down 115-114, followed by Curry’s turnover, setting up another chance for Dallas to take the lead. Dončić took a 13-foot turnaround jumper he missed, which would have been a go-ahead jumper.

“I think it could’ve been way better,” Dončić said of his final shot. “The shot clock was going down, so I was kinda trying to get to my spot, and then on the last shot I was trying to look if somebody was open, so I saw there’s three, four seconds to go, so I just took the shot.”

Though Quentin Grimes managed a quick three-pointer to keep Dallas close after Curry’s iconic shot, Curry’s two free throws on the ensuing possession iced the game.

Mavericks’ Third Consecutive Clutch Loss

Leading into this Warriors matchup, the Mavericks have lost three consecutive close games, including against the Phoenix Suns and Denver Nuggets. They have also fallen to 1-5 in clutch games after having the second-best winning percentage last season.

The Mavericks committed 17 turnovers, leading to 21 points for Golden State and giving up 18 offensive rebounds. Kidd highlighted these areas by addressing them going forward and clutch-time execution, saying, “In the last two minutes, we have to get better. We’ve struggled in those final minutes…we’ve got to rebound and take care of the ball,” he said. “Even with the 18 offensive rebounds we gave up, we still had a chance.”

Reflecting on the tight games and Dallas’ early-season challenges, Thompson pointed to the season’s long road ahead: “We’ve had about four games that could have gone either way. This one hurt, being up by seven with under four minutes left. But I’m really proud of how this team keeps fighting. We’re still getting to know each other, and it’s better to go through these things early in the season rather than later.”

For Dončić, the frustration of falling short in consecutive close games was apparent. “It’s an 82-game season. People forget that. We could’ve won three in a row, but we lost,” he said, accepting accountability. “That’s on me; I didn’t execute down the stretch. I just have to be better.”

Mavericks’ Supporting Cast Contributions

Beyond the stars, the Mavericks received key contributions from their supporting cast. Grimes, who played nearly 30 minutes, scored 6 points and grabbed 6 rebounds. At the start of his stint in Dallas, he was coming off a game serving as a healthy scratch against Denver, which has come with inconsistent playing time.

Dallas’ big men also contributed significantly in areas inside the box score, but they could have been much better in various areas that didn’t appear. Gafford scored 15 points on 7-of-8 shooting. Lively delivered 12 points and 8 rebounds in 24 minutes after entering the game as questionable following missing the team’s previous four games due to a right shoulder sprain. However, both centers struggled to contain in space, particularly against Curry.

Jaden Hardy added 4 points and 4 assists, showcasing energy on both ends in his 19 minutes. Naji Marshall chipped in 6 points and 3 rebounds over 22 minutes, taking on challenging defensive assignments throughout the game.

The Warriors received a balanced performance besides Curry’s explosive scoring night. Draymond Green added 11 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks while coming up with many big defensive plays down the stretch. Jonathan Kuminga scored 16 points, while De’Antohny Melton and Buddy Hield added 14 each.

Final Thoughts and Next Steps

The Mavericks’ third straight loss came down to missed chances in clutch time—a trend that runs counter to last season when they excelled in close games. Kidd believes they are still learning and growing as a unit.

“There’s a lot of positive things to build on,” Kidd reflected. “We just need to improve our rebounding and late-game execution, understanding what works against our opponent. This was a great test for our group.”

Dallas will now look to end their losing streak as they head to Utah to face the Jazz. With the first game of the NBA Cup under their belts, the Mavericks know the adjustments needed to begin winning games.

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