While the Golden State Warriors fell to their 10th loss in the last 13 games against the Indiana Pacers on Monday night, the Dallas Mavericks were enjoying their 14th win in the last 17 outings thanks to a 132-108 blowout win over the Portland Trail Blazers.
There was a rare Klay Thompson dunk in the 24-point win, with the Mavericks now fourth in the Western Conference while the Warriors slipped to eighth and remain just one game ahead of the 11th-seed Phoenix Suns.
Former Warriors guard Klay Thompson is closing in on another 3-point shooting achievement
Coming off 13 combined 3-pointers and 67 points over his previous three games, including a season-high 29 against his former team at Chase Center, Thompson was a little quieter and played only 18 minutes on Monday.
The 34-year-old was nonetheless efficient, going for 13 points on 5-of-10 shooting from the floor including 3-of-8 from beyond the arc. Those trio of 3-pointers has now brought Thompson closer to another shooting record which he's in line to achieve on Christmas Day.
The 5x All-Star now sits with 2,558 made 3-pointers throughout his career, just two behind Reggie Miller for fifth on the all-time list. Dallas will host the Minnesota Timberwolves on Christmas Day, providing Thompson with the marquee opportunity to pass one of his heroes.
After making the No.11 famous during his historic tenure with the Warriors, Thompson chose to honor Miller by taking the No. 31 upon his arrival at the Mavericks. Passing Miller will undoubtedly be a huge moment for the 4x NBA champion, having spoken about his impact during his introductory press conference in Dallas.
"I mean, that's how I model my game after, just being able to space the floor. You can't leave me open like you (couldn't) Reggie," Thompson said.
Thompson would have passed Miller a while ago if not for the two devastating leg injuries he suffered during his time with Golden State. He missed two full seasons of basketball, having suffered a torn ACL in the 2019 Finals before tearing his achilles during the 2020 offseason.
Former splash brother Stephen Curry still reigns supreme as the undisputed 3-point king, sitting over 800 makes above anyone else at the top of the all-time list. James Harden passed Ray Allen for second earlier this season, while Milwaukee Bucks guard Damian Lillard sits just over 100 makes ahead of Miller and Thompson as fourth all-time in 3-point makes.
