The Dallas Mavericks played one of their more underwhelming contests of recent memory on Thursday night versus the LA Clippers, as the Mavericks were without superstars Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving in a 118-95 blowout loss at home. This game against the Clippers was the first of two consecutive games that Dallas will play against LA at home, as the Mavericks will take on the Clippers again tomorrow night.
Dallas having both of their best offensive players out against a solid defensive team like the Clippers was more than enough to keep the Mavericks out of this game, though Dallas fought hard to stay connected for the first three and a half quarters of this game. The Mavericks were playing some pretty solid defense themselves in this game barring their ability to keep Ivica Zubac off the glass or their ability to stop Norman Powell from scoring on the perimeter.
Dallas' role players assuredly kept the Mavericks relatively close in this contest for a good portion of the game because of their defense, but the Mavericks would've gotten blown out even worse if it weren't for the shot-creation abilities of Klay Thompson in this game, as the 34-year-old sharpshooter had 22 points on 9-17 shooting from the field to go along with two steals.
Thompson scoring more twos takes Mavericks offense to another level
With Irving and Doncic out of the lineup, Thompson was tasked with initiating more offense in this game, and he did a really great job at doing so by getting to his spots in the mid-range and by being more deceptive on dribble drives. Thompson was moving fast off dribble handoffs in this contest and it helped Dallas apply pressure on the rim when he was getting downhill, as it opened up the array of moves he could bust out of his arsenal because of the space he was creating for himself.
Thompson only scored two 3-point field goals in this game, as all seven of his other made field goals were one-legged mid-range shots, finishes at the rim, or long two-pointers. Up until recently, Thompson has struggled dramatically inside the arc, so this game against the Clippers was a beacon of hope for Mavericks fans who want to see Thompson create more of his own offense and be more efficient when shooting twos.
Thompson is obviously utilized most effectively when playing alongside other dynamic shot creators, and re-adding Irving and Doncic into the lineup will do wonders for Thompson receiving more catch-and-shoot 3-point attempts. However, Thompson throwing it back to his younger days by scoring off the dribble occasionally and displaying a reliable mid-range jumper off the bounce in pick-and-roll scenarios would be huge for the overall dynamism of this Mavericks offense.
This is the last step in Dallas getting the best possible version of Thompson at his age, as him being comfortable with his in-between game and finishing ability should be a sign that Thompson is truly starting to grow within this Dallas offense, as he struggled tremendously with his efficiency on two-point field goals until the month of December.
If Thompson can be anywhere close to as productive and efficient offensively as he's been in these last two contests, then the Mavericks' bet to sign Thompson this past free agency will be totally worthwhile, and the Mavericks' fifth-ranked offensive rating of 116.9 only projects to go higher.
