Klay Thompson’s second return trip to the Chase Center was just as electric as the first, just in a very different way.
The Golden State Warriors and Dallas Mavericks set a new NBA record Sunday night in their wild battle in San Francisco. The two teams combined for a ridiculous 48 3-pointers on the night, the most in a single game in league history.
The Warriors had 27 shots from beyond the arc, including 18 in the first half. That marked a new franchise record for a half and also tied the league record. It’s only happened five times in NBA history, most recently in March. The Mavericks also had 12 made 3-pointers in the first half. A total of 30 made 3-pointers equaled the league record.
But despite the Warriors’ hot shooting — they finished 50% shooting from beyond the arc as a group — it wasn’t enough to get past Luka Dončić and the Mavericks. Dončić had a triple-double in the third quarter, leading Dallas to a 143-133 victory. He finished with a season-high 45 points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds. It marked his ninth 40-point triple-double, which is fourth most in NBA history. It was also his third triple-double in the last four games.
Thompson, who joined the Mavericks in free agency last offseason after spending his first 11 seasons in the league with the Warriors, scored a season-high 29 points on seven 3-pointers. Kyrie Irving added 21 points and eight assists for Dallas as well.
The Mavericks led all the way Sunday night, making 14 of their first 19 shots.
“The problem was Luka Dončić. That was the problem,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. . “I think they made their first nine shots, I think he made three of them and had three more assists. So he was incredible. Give him credit, give Dallas credit. They have a hell of a team… We tried a lot of different things.”
Andrew Wiggins led the Warriors with 29 points in the loss, which dropped them to 14-11 on the year. Stephen Curry scored 26 points and 10 assists. He also made seven 3-pointers. Draymond Green added 21 points and seven rebounds off the bench. Golden State’s 27 3-pointers made are the most ever made by a team in a game.
The Warriors have lost eight of their last 10 games. They will next face the Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday. Dončić and the Mavericks will next host the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday.