DALLAS — Klay Thompson threw Anthony Davis a lob early in the fourth quarter on Wednesday night against the Atlanta Hawks. AD threw down the one-handed dunk, leading to a Hawks' timeout as the Dallas Mavericks took a 108-96 lead. Although Atlanta would fight back, Dallas emerged victorious by a final score of 120-118. Davis and Thompson led the way in the win.
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AD led all scorers with 34 points. He added 15 rebounds and five blocks to go along with the eventual game-winner with just over three seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. Thompson, meanwhile, scored 17 points and connected on a late three that tied the game.
Since Davis has returned from injury, the Mavericks star is clearly developing chemistry with his new teammates, including Thompson. Jason Kidd is taking notice of Davis and Thompson's emerging chemistry.
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“It can become seamless when you have a skill set (like) AD's ability to dribble and DHO, play-make,” the Mavericks head coach told reporters after the game. “Also Klay being able to run off screens off of AD or vice versa. Klay made a big three… He didn't hesitate. I thought he had two big threes for us, one in the right corner that he had the other night and then the one to tie the game. I thought Klay was great, being able to run him off screens. Try to get to know each other running a different offense.
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“As much as we want to play fast, we also can't leave the big guys behind so we gotta make sure that they touch the ball. I thought in the first half we were taking quick shots in transition instead of just taking the best shot and that's sometimes turning one down to get another one especially when you have D-Live and AD out there running.”
Breaking down the Mavericks' Anthony Davis-Klay Thompson duo
Kidd is surely a fan of AD and Klay playing the two-man game at times. However, they can also make plays off the ball. If Thompson runs baseline and gets a screen from AD, a Mavs guard such as Spencer Dinwiddie can find Thompson in the corner for an open look. That is only example of course. The Mavs feature the ability to get creative and utilize AD and Klay's skill sets in multiple facets of the game.
The primary star duo that was discussed on a consistent basis when the Mavericks acquired AD was the Anthony Davis-Kyrie Irving partnership. They will likely find success together as well once Irving returns from injury next season, but Thompson and Davis' partnership shouldn't be overlooked.
On Wednesday, the duo led the Mavericks to a crucial win as Dallas attempts to earn an NBA Play-In Tournament spot.