Klay Thompson scored 16 of his 23 points during a dominant second quarter in Dallas’ 120-106 win over the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday night, securing redemption for his poor performance in last year’s play-in game. One year after Thompson missed all 10 of his shots in a play-in loss with Golden State in Sacramento, he played a key role in Dallas’ win, hitting four 3-pointers in a 44-point second quarter that put the game out of reach.
Thompson reflected on the significance of the performance, saying, “Human nature, when you end a season on a sour note like that you want to come out and prove people wrong. But I thought I did a good job to start the game of trying to dish, rebound, play defense. The shots came to me after that.”
The Mavericks will now face Memphis on Friday for a chance to secure the eighth seed in the Western Conference playoffs, with the winner advancing to play top-seeded Oklahoma City in the opening round.
In contrast, the Kings made a coaching change shortly after the game, parting ways with general manager Monte McNair in a mutual decision, marking the latest chapter in a disappointing season for Sacramento. The Kings have now missed the playoffs 18 times in the last 19 seasons.
Dallas, which had a rocky season after trading Luka Doncic to the Lakers for Anthony Davis, had to cope with numerous injuries, including star point guard Kyrie Irving’s season-ending knee injury. Despite the adversity, Thompson remained hopeful, saying, “We’ve had a tumultuous season to say the least. The injury bug has struck us like I’ve never seen before. But we’re still here playing postseason basketball.”
Dallas opened the second quarter with a 20-6 run, including back-to-back 3-pointers by Thompson. He added two more 3s as the Mavericks extended their lead to 23 points at halftime, effectively sealing the game. “We shot it very well, got stops on defense, and were able to run,” said Davis, who led the Mavericks with 27 points. “Offense was clicking. We had what, 44 in the quarter? We played with a lot of pace and opened up the game.”
For the Kings, DeMar DeRozan scored 33 points, and Zach LaVine added 20, but their performance fell short. Sacramento’s rough season also included firing head coach Mike Brown in December and trading star point guard De’Aaron Fox to San Antonio in February.
Interim coach Doug Christie expressed his commitment to the team despite the struggles: “This is where I want to be. You guys know that. I need to finish what I started.”
