Dallas Mavericks forward/guard Klay Thompson. Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images

Klay Thompson missed game-tying three-pointer in Mavericks' loss

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Rex Villas | Last updated Dec 30, 2025 8:35 AM ET

Dallas Mavericks star Klay Thompson is still a deadly shooter, but he fired a blank in a crucial moment of Monday night’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon.

Trailing Portland by three points with 3.0 seconds left in the fourth quarter, Thompson took the inbound pass off a designed play to get him the ball. Given the situation and the fact that Thompson is one of the greatest shooters to ever play the game, it seemed just right that he would get the nod to take the final shot for Dallas.

After receiving the ball, Thompson got two Portland defenders in the air with a sweet pump fake before rising for the shot. Unfortunately for Thompson and Dallas, he failed to find the target, as the Blazers escaped with a 125-122 victory.

Here’s how the final play of the contest unfolded:

Klay Thompson missed the game tying three.

He had a great look here, pump faked and had it, just barely missed it pic.twitter.com/CinDkgjm6J
— SM Highlights (@SMHighlights1) December 30, 2025

Thompson, 35, is no longer shooting as efficiently as he did during his prime years with the Golden State Warriors, but that play made it clear the Mavericks still trust him to take a clutch three-pointer. He finished the Portland game with 14 points on 5-of-12 shooting from the field and 3-of-12 from behind the arc.

So far in the 2025-26 season, Thompson is shooting just 37.2% from the floor and 35.4% from deep.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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