Steph Curry spoils Klay Thompson's emotional return to the Bay Area as the Golden State Warriors beat the Dallas Mavericks

CNN
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Steph Curry spoiled his former “Splash Brother” Klay Thompson's emotional return to the Chase Center on Tuesday as the Golden State Warriors rallied late to beat the Dallas Mavericks 120-117.

Thompson played against his former team for the first time since leaving the Bay Area in July to join Dallas after spending 13 successful years with the Warriors.

But it was Curry — whom Thompson helped revolutionize basketball with his three-point shooting — who had the last laugh, scoring 37 points and Golden State's final 12 points to come back and beat Dallas.

The magnitude of the Warriors' victory was made clear when Curry was seen shouting jubilantly into a television camera after hitting a crucial 3-pointer in the fourth quarter as Golden State improved to 9-2 and remained atop the Western Conference.

But the game will be remembered for the return of Thompson, who faces the Warriors after being part of the franchise's dynasty streak that included four title wins and countless memorable moments.

When Thompson arrived at Chase Center, he was greeted by about 400 Warriors employees who lined his path and cheered as he made his way to the locker room.

“That was really cool,” Thompson said. “I am very grateful to the staff for showing me this kind of love… completely unexpected and definitely put a smile on my face. Something I will never forget.”

Fans in attendance were given “Captain Klay” hats for the evening – a nod to Thompson's choice of hat he wore during the 2022 title celebrations – and there were video tributes to the 34-year-old during pre-game warm-ups.

Before tipoff, Curry and Thompson exchanged a hug and the Warriors recognized Thompson during player introductions, which ended with the words, “Thank you No. 11, thank you Game 6, thank you Captain, thank you Splash Brother, thank you Klay.”

As Thompson came off the bench, the emotion of the event seemed to catch up with him as he was met with loud cheers from the Warriors crowd.

The “Splash Brothers” were reunited early in the game, with Curry fouling Thompson after 15 seconds and Thompson scoring the first two points of the game from the free throw line.

“I’m so surprised they posted for him the first game,” Curry said. “Then I lost consciousness, I didn’t want to let him score and I fouled him. It was a very special evening.”

Although the night ultimately ended in a loss for Thompson and the Mavericks – Thompson scored 22 points in his return – he was grateful for the reception he received.

“It was a cool moment to feel the energy from the fans,” Thompson said. “Especially all the chatter I heard, it was all positive.”

During Thompson's time in California, he was part of the core alongside Curry and Draymond Green, who also contributed to the team's great success.

However, Thompson missed more than two years after suffering back-to-back serious injuries – first a torn ACL and then a ruptured right Achilles tendon – before returning in January 2022.

Warriors head coach Steve Kerr spoke about Thompson's resilience after Tuesday's game.

“I think what he has overcome is almost unprecedented,” Kerr told reporters. “The last couple of years after he came back, he struggled to juggle it all and lost those peak seasons. We all saw this and saw how he struggled emotionally. We saw him struggle to get his game back. He helped us win a championship, led the league in threes two years ago and did a lot of great things.

“We wish this was over forever, that Klay had ended his career with us, but circumstances always dictate these things. In the end I think he made the right choice… He wasn't happy and that was hard to recognize because he deserves to be happy. Basically he’s a very happy person.”