Mavericks beat the Kings 120-106 to
advance to face the Grizzlies in the Play-In Tournament
[April 17, 2025]
By JOSH DUBOW
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Klay Thompson scored 16 of his 23 points
in Dallas’ dominant second quarter to get redemption for his dud in
Sacramento a year ago, helping the Mavericks beat the Kings 120-106
on Wednesday night to advance in the Play-In Tournament.
One year to the day when Thompson missed all 10 shots in his final
game for Golden State in a play-in loss in Sacramento, Thompson
fueled the win with four 3-pointers in Dallas’ 44-point second
quarter. That turned the game into a laugher and kept the Mavericks’
chaotic season alive for at least one more game.
“Human nature, when you end a season on a sour note like that you
want to come out and prove people wrong,” Thompson said. "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.”
Dallas advanced to play at Memphis on Friday night for the chance to
get into the playoffs as the eighth seed in the West. The winner of
that game will open the playoffs on Sunday at top-seeded Oklahoma
City.
As for the Kings, soon after the game, the team and general manager
Monte McNair agreed to part ways. A person familiar with the
decision said the sides mutually agreed on the breakup. The person
spoke on condition of anonymity because the team hadn’t announced
the move.
The Mavs have undergone a rough season after trading young superstar
Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers in a seismic trade that
brought Anthony Davis to Dallas and vitriol from the fan base to the
organization.
Star point guard Kyrie Irving went down with a season-ending knee
injury shortly after that trade, ending any realistic hopes of
another deep playoff run after making it to the NBA Finals last
season.
“We've had a tumultuous season to say the least,” Thompson said.
“The injury bug has struck us like I’ve never seen before. But we’re
still here playing postseason basketball. We can really give the
city of Dallas some hope, especially if we go to Memphis and repeat
this type of performance.”
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Dallas Mavericks guard Klay Thompson (31) reacts during the first
half of an NBA play-in tournament basketball game against the
Sacramento Kings, Wednesday, April 16, 2025, in Sacramento, Calif.
(AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
Dallas opened the second quarter with a 20-6 run
fueled by back-to-back 3s from Thompson. Thompson hit two more 3s
later in the quarter as the Mavs built the lead to 23 points at the
half, removing any drama.
“We shot it very well, get stops on defense and were able to run,”
said Davis, who led Dallas 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."
DeMar DeRozan scored 33 points for the Kings, and and Zach LaVine
added 20.
It was a disappointing ending to an underwhelming season for the
Kings, who fired coach Mike Brown in December and traded star point
guard De’Aaron Fox to San Antonio in February. It all led to
Sacramento missing the playoffs for the 18th time in 19 seasons,
raising questions about the team’s future.
“This is where I want to be,” interim coach Doug Christie said. "You
guys know that. I need to finish what I started.”
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