Klay Thompson spent 13 seasons as a teammate of the unique Stephen Curry with the Golden State Warriors.
Now, he is quickly getting used to another great player on his new team.
Thompson and Luka Doncic will team up for the second time in the regular season when the Dallas Mavericks face the Phoenix Suns on Saturday night.
In his Dallas debut, Thompson scored 22 points and hit six 3-pointers, helping the Mavericks secure a 120-109 win at home against the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday night.
Thompson joining as a free agent gives Dallas a strong trio. Doncic had 28 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists, while Kyrie Irving added 15 points.
“He was great, knocking in a lot of shots, and he was moving out there, playing great defense, too,” Doncic said about Thompson. “I’m just glad we got him. It’s easy to play with a guy like that. It makes my life and Ky’s easier.”
Thompson was impressed to see Doncic’s all-around skills from a teammate’s perspective.
“It was great to be out there with Luka,” Thompson said. “What an incredible talent. And it doesn’t make any sense because what we’re taught growing up as far as being the best basketball player is you got to jump the highest, you got to run the fastest.
“Somehow, Luka defies that. He plays at his own speed and manipulates a game as good as I’ve ever seen anyone do it. It’s great to be a recipient of that and get great looks.”
Thompson also didn’t want to get too excited after the strong start.
“It’s one game,” he said. “I don’t want to get ahead of myself. It was a great start. But I’m not satisfied. We have so much basketball ahead. You can never be too high through the regular season.”
The Suns have played two games in Los Angeles to start the season, winning 116-113 in overtime against the Clippers on Wednesday but losing 123-116 to the Lakers on Friday.
Phoenix was ahead by as much as 22 points before the Lakers made a comeback. Los Angeles outscored the Suns 71-55 in the second half.
Kevin Durant scored 30 points on 11-of-17 shooting, and Devin Booker added 23 points with a 9-for-21 shooting effort for the Suns.
Phoenix shot 51.2 percent as a team, but new coach Mike Budenholzer questioned whether their shot selection could improve. He wants more plays inside.
“I think we want to find good shots and good opportunities,” Budenholzer said. “We have to continue to fight the paint and get there. That’s usually how you generate 3s.”
Big man Jusuf Nurkic played only 18 minutes because of foul trouble. He scored just four points on 1-of-5 shooting and had a tough night on defense while Lakers star Anthony Davis scored 35 points.
“I think ‘Nurk’ is somebody that is capable of defending, not just Davis but all the good bigs,” Budenholzer said. “He gives us a presence in the paint and on the boards, so he’ll have his nights.”
Suns shooter Grayson Allen missed Friday’s game due to the upcoming birth of a child. He is also dealing with soreness in his Achilles.
Last season, the Mavericks went 2-1 against the Suns, including a memorable 128-114 win on Christmas Night, where Doncic scored 50 points and had 15 assists, reaching over 10,000 career points.
