A Curry thriller in Klay’s return

That was insane.

The Golden State Warriors home game against the Dallas Mavericks had been circled on the calendar ever since the schedule came out. It was the return of Klay Thompson, after 13 glorious seasons in the Bay Area. It was a game to clear your schedule for, if for no other reason than the vibes and emotion.

And then the game itself delivered, in what was arguably the best game of the young NBA season, with the Warriors winning a thriller, besting the Mavericks 120-117, to climb back into a tie for the best record in the Western Conference.

After a heartwarming tribute to Thompson, the game got started. To the surprise of no one, the Mavs ran their first play through Klay, who founded himself guarded by his old running mate, Steph Curry. Thompson got the best of their first interaction, drawing a foul and making both free throws.

With Curry guarding Thompson, De’Anthony Melton guarding Kyrie Irving, and Andrew Wiggins guarding Luka Dončić, the Dubs and Mavs went to battle. Dallas drew an early lead, but Golden State rattled off a 9-0 run, which was punctuated by one of the best defensive plays of the season: Draymond Green blocking a three-point attempt, saving the ball from going out of bounds while starting a fastbreak, and Melton laying it in.

Green was providing an offensive spark too, with a pair of threes as the Dubs built a leady, but then Irving went into crazy shotmaking mode to keep Dallas close. Golden State’s offense was flowing beautifully, but after Irving cooled off Dončić took over in the outrageous shotmaking department, as the Mavs stayed in striking distance. After the first quarter, Curry and Dončić both had 12 points, but the Warriors had a 33-27 advantage.

The Mavs, led by Luka, went on a blistering run in the second quarter. An 8-0 run gave Dallas a lead, and then it became a 13-0 run and, behind back-to-back threes from Thompson, a 16-2 run and a seven-point Mavs advantage. Suddenly Dallas’ offense could not be stopped, and before anyone could tell what happened, the Warriors were in a double-digit hole.

But the Warriors fought back, ending the quarter with a three from Jonathan Kuminga and a circus shot that Curry made over Thompson for his only points of the quarter. They trailed 63-59 at halftime, but it was anyone’s game.

And then the famous third quarter Warriors showed up. They quickly tied the game, before Klay answered with a three. Led by a blistering pace and a ballistic outpouring of points from Curry, the Warriors rattled off a 16-0 run to take a 13-point lead. But there were no visions of a blowout. As has been the case for the Dubs all season, one team’s run was answered by the other team’s run, as Dallas responded with 10 unanswered points of their own. The Warriors wouldn’t allow the momentum to swing too much though, and ended the third quarter with a 96-89 lead, after outscoring Dallas by 11 points in the frame.

But the fourth quarter brought about the star that is Irving. On the first possession he made a magical dish to Dereck Lively II for a layup. On the second possession he drained a tough bucket. On the third possession he drew a foul on Brandin Podziemski and cashed in both shots from the charity stripe to make it a one-point game. A few possessions later, he would tie the game with a three. A few possessions after that, Thompson would give Dallas the lead with a three of his own.

In a game of runs, the Mavericks had one final push, with a 7-0 run giving Dallas a seven-point lead with about four-and-a-half minutes remaining.

And then the Warriors, who have been one of the elite defenses in the league this year, buckled in, and ran one of the best few minutes of defense you can imagine.

It started with Melton picking a pocket, and draining a three on the other end to cut the deficit to four points.

A few possessions later, Green drew a charge against Daniel Gafford, which led to a Curry three, cutting the lead to one. On the very next possession, Green had an outrageous block of Gafford, and one possession later the defense of — who else but Green on Gafford — forced Thompson into throwing the ball away. A layup by Curry on the other end gave the Warriors the lead with under two minutes remaining.

The teams traded lost possessions — Thompson missed a three, then Curry threw away a lob, then Dončić missed a jumper — leaving the Dubs with a two-for-one opportunity while nursing a one-point lead. Curry, with ice in his veins, topped off a 10-0 run in which he scored all 10 points by draining a three, and hit his former teammate and current rivals with his patented night-night celebration.

But it wasn’t over. Quentin Grimes responded with a three of his own to make it a one-point game. Curry made a pair of free throws with 13.9 seconds remaining, but Dallas would still have a chance to tie it. A nearly perfect defensive possession forced Dončić into a circus three, and even his theatrics weren’t enough, as it was nowhere near going in.

And so, in one of the most entertaining games of the season, the Dubs emerged with a victory over their beloved former teammate, and improved to 9-2 on the season, while winning in their first in-season tournament game of the year.

Curry’s explosion led to a season-high 37 points, to go along with six rebounds, nine assists, one steal, and two blocks. Green was everywhere, finishing with 11 points, seven rebounds, six assists, three steals, two blocks, and no turnovers. Wiggins, Melton, and Trayce Jackson-Davis all played brilliantly, while Kevon Looney changed the game off the bench with 11 rebounds … nine of which came on the offensive glass. Thompson, who was cheered most of the night but also greeted with “air ball” chants after a late miss, dropped in 22 points while shooting 6-for-12 from beyond the arc, while Dončić had 31 points and Irving 21.

The Warriors seemed incredibly amped up, and the intensity of Curry and Green’s celebrations late in the game made it clear that this was a meaningful game. Was that due to Thompson’s return? The magnitude of an in-season tournament game? The chance to prove themselves against the defending conference champions? The opportunity to show that they are, indeed, a contender?

Perhaps some combination of the four, but there was a level of competitive intensity that felt on par with the team’s championship seasons. And it was a whole lot of fun to watch.

The Dubs now get a few days off to enjoy being at home, before hosting the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday night at 7:00 p.m. PT.