In the Golden State Warriors 143-133 win against Klay Thompson and the Dallas Mavericks, both teams made NBA history. From the three-point arc, the Warriors and Mavericks set an NBA record for the most threes combined (48) in a single game. Dallas connected on 21-or-41 attempts from deep, while Golden State made 27-of-54, which led to an interesting take from Thompson.
The former Warrior talked about this display of shooting being meaningful for the association, especially after a game between the Charlotte Hornets and Chicago Bulls recently combined for a whopping 75 missed threes, per Dallas Morning News’ Mike Curtis.
“That’s good because I saw what Charlotte & Chicago did [75 combined missed 3s], so it’s nice to counter that because a lot of fans think too many 3s are being attempted, so it was nice to show that shooting is still incredible in this league,” Thompson said. “I really believe as this game gets longer as far as years played, maybe there’ll be a four-point line one day.”
It’s hard to envision the NBA creating a 4-pointer, drastically changing the game, and maximizing a team’s offense. However, it isn’t the first time the idea has been mentioned while teams across the league have prioritized three-point shooting as the association has evolved.
While Thompson led with a team-high seven threes (7-of-11) en route to 29 points, his former Warriors backcourt mate Stephen Curry (7-of-13) did the same on his way to 26 points. Luka Doncic scored a game-high 45 points as part of an impressive triple-double (13 assists, 11 rebounds), and Kyrie Irving finished with 21 points and eight assists.
Thompson returned to The Bay for the second time this season. In their first meeting, the Warriors defeated the Mavericks 120-177 on Nov. 11.
Mavericks shooting guard Klay Thompson returned to lesser Warriors fanfare than his initial return on Sunday. However, Thompson still felt the love in his second time back.
After the Mavericks’ 143-133 victory, he discussed it in his postgame interview, per NBA’s X, formerly Twitter.
“It still warms my heart to see all the number 11 jerseys. Still makes me feel incredibly grateful for the time I did have here. Legendary stuff. But now it’s time to do some legendary stuff in Dallas. I truly believe in this team. We have all the ingredients to be really special,” Thompson said.
"Makes me incredibly grateful."
Klay still feels the love from Warriors fans after his 2nd return to The Bay
pic.twitter.com/iLcSEFnb15
— NBA (@NBA) December 16, 2024
The Mavs will take the next few days off before hosting the Clippers on Thursday.
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The Pittsburgh Steelers' signing of quarterback Aaron Rodgers was an immediately polarizing move that did not sit well with large portions of the fan base. It also did not sit well with one of the team's all-time greatest players, four-time Super Bowl winning quarterback Terry Bradshaw. Bradshaw initially referred to the signing of Rodgers as a "joke" and that he should "stay in California and go chew bark" in reference to Rodgers isolating himself in a darkness retreat last year. On Saturday, Rodgers finally had a chance to respond to Bradshaw and did so with a combination of taking the high road, and also trying to make light of it. “I whisper to the gods every single day. I’ve known Terry for a long time, being a part of Fox. Terry’s a legend. He’s an absolute legend. He won four Super Bowls. He’s had a legendary career in the media. But Terry, like a lot of people, doesn’t know me. And so, he’s got an idea of what he thinks about me based on what I’ve done, the documentary, what I’ve said, darkness retreat, whatever the hell you want to talk about. I’d love to get to know Terry on a deeper level. I feel like if he gave me a chance to get to know him, then we’d have a good friendship." He ended the answer by saying, "So, I’d love to get to know Terry on a deeper level if he’s open to it. And maybe we can go chew some bark or whatever the hell he’s talking about together.” The Steelers were in a pretty desperate quarterback situation this offseason after completely overhauling the position for a second year in a row. They missed out on the chance to re-sign Justin Fields, let Russell Wilson walk, missed out on every other veteran who changed teams and passed on the opportunity to select a quarterback near the top of a weak quarterback draft class. (They ultimately selected Ohio State's Will Howard in the sixth round.) The whole Rodgers saga has been quite a soap opera for the Steelers as they waited around for months while he decided on whether or not he wanted to play this season, and if he wanted to play for the Steelers. Add in the fact he has had a tendency to cause some off-field distractions with his comments and weekly "Pat McAfee Show" appearances, as well as the fact he will turn 42 years old this season and hasn't been a top-tier quarterback in three years, and a lot of Steelers fans — and former players — were put off by the idea. The only thing that will matter in the end, however, is how Rodgers plays on the field. He has said all of the right things since joining the team, and his new teammates have all spoken highly of him so far, but it will still come down to results on the field. The Steelers have not won a playoff game in eight years and are facing added pressure each year to end that drought. They are hoping Rodgers has one more good year in him to help them advance in the postseason.
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