{"id":545834,"date":"2026-01-19T02:06:32","date_gmt":"2026-01-19T02:06:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/545834\/"},"modified":"2026-01-19T02:06:32","modified_gmt":"2026-01-19T02:06:32","slug":"klay-thompson-uses-little-heater-to-reach-17000-points-lead-dallas-mavericks-past-utah-jazz","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/545834\/","title":{"rendered":"Klay Thompson Uses ‘Little Heater’ To Reach 17,000 Points, Lead Dallas Mavericks Past Utah Jazz"},"content":{"rendered":"

Another game turned into yet another historic afternoon for Klay Thompson<\/a>, especially when the Utah Jazz are involved. Thompson scored all 23 of his points in the first half in just 20 minutes, and the Dallas Mavericks rolled to a 138-120 victory Saturday afternoon at American Airlines Center. <\/p>\n

The Mavericks never trailed, completed a two-game home sweep of Utah, and improved to 17-26 with their third win in four games heading into Monday\u2019s road matchup against the New York Knicks.<\/p>\n

Dallas followed Thursday\u2019s 144-122 win with another offensive performance, leaning into pace, spacing and ball movement despite being without Cooper Flagg<\/a> (left ankle sprain), Anthony Davis<\/a> (left finger sprain), Kyrie Irving<\/a> (left knee surgery), Daniel Gafford<\/a> (right ankle sprain), Dant\u00e9 Exum (right knee surgery), Dereck Lively II<\/a> (right foot surgery), P.J. Washington<\/a> (personal reasons) and D\u2019Angelo Russell (illness).<\/p>\n

Klay Thompson\u2019s First-Half Heater Sets The Tone<\/p>\n

Thompson reached the 17,000-point milestone on a turnaround jumper with 4:56 remaining in the first quarter, becoming the 17th active NBA player to do so. The basket came one game after he moved into fourth place on the NBA\u2019s all-time three-pointers list, continuing a stretch where history has followed him nightly. <\/p>\n

Thompson now needs 159 three-pointers to pass Ray Allen for third place on the NBA\u2019s all-time three-pointers list, a chase he has referenced dating back to his early years in the league.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo be in the history books at No. 4 right now, it\u2019s pretty sweet,\u201d Thompson said. \u201cJust to keep climbing that ladder and have a chance to pass Ray one day. I never forget when I was a rookie, I put in my Twitter bio that I\u2019m chasing Ray Allen, and a lot of Internet people said that was unrealistic for me. So it\u2019s nice to have a chance to pass one of my idols.\u201d<\/p>\n

Coming off the bench, Thompson wasted little time finding his rhythm. He finished the first half 7-of-12 from the field and 6-of-9 from three-point range, helping Dallas build a 71-59 halftime lead. That margin grew to 106-94 after three quarters as Utah struggled to keep shooters attached.<\/p>\n

Mavericks coach Jason Kidd<\/a> pointed to Thompson\u2019s presence as a catalyst for the entire offense.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think right now he is shooting the ball at a very high level for us,\u201d Kidd said. \u201cJust his gravity helps his teammates too, because it gives them space to do what they have to. So again, the antenna is high for Klay, the guys are setting screens, guys are finding him and he\u2019s doing the hard part and that\u2019s shooting it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thompson delivered his biggest burst late in the second quarter, knocking down three triples and three free throws during a stretch that pushed Dallas\u2019 lead to 71-55. He said his approach rarely changes when shots start falling.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy mindset is to try and get open and get my shoulders square and let it fly,\u201d Thompson said. \u201cAnd when I do that and I shoot it with confidence it usually goes in. I got on a little heater at the end of that second quarter \u2013 it felt great. Twenty-three points in 20 minutes is pretty good, so I\u2019ll carry that same flow into New York City.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thompson did not score after halftime, finishing with 20 total minutes as Dallas leaned into depth to manage the second half.<\/p>\n

Max Christie\u2019s Return Reshapes The Offense<\/p>\n

Dallas\u2019 offensive efficiency took on a noticeably different look with Max Christie<\/a> back in the lineup.<\/p>\n

After missing the previous two games with illness, Christie returned and finished with 22 points on 7-of-13 shooting, including 3-of-6 from three-point range. Utah\u2019s defensive attention toward Christie opened the floor, particularly for Thompson, as help defenders were forced to choose between chasing shooters or protecting the paint.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt just felt good to be back,\u201d Christie said. \u201cI was out for two games, and you never realize how much you miss something until you don\u2019t have it. I missed the game for sure, and it felt good to be back. I was excited to play today, and it felt good to get a good win.\u201d<\/p>\n

Christie\u2019s impact showed during a key second-quarter stretch when Utah trimmed a 16-point deficit down to eight. Christie answered with a corner three, then jumped a passing lane for a steal and coast-to-coast finish to restore breathing room.<\/p>\n

Kidd said Christie\u2019s value extends beyond shot-making.<\/p>\n

\u201cChristie\u2019s first game back, to be able to do what he did tonight was really, really good,\u201d Kidd said. \u201cWe missed him on both sides of the ball. He\u2019s one of our best shooters and most athletic guys. Offensively, he helps us there. But we missed him on the defensive end, too. He just competes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pace and Depth Overwhelm Utah<\/p>\n

Dallas controlled the game through tempo and unselfish play. The Mavericks outscored Utah 30-13 in fast-break points and recorded 36 assists, consistently punishing late rotations and cross-matches.<\/p>\n

Brandon Williams<\/a> thrived in that environment, matching Christie with 22 points while adding five assists. Williams repeatedly pushed the ball up the floor, finishing at the rim or finding teammates before Utah\u2019s defense could set.<\/p>\n

Naji Marshall<\/a> posted 16 points, five rebounds, and six assists, acting as a connector on both ends. Jaden Hardy<\/a> scored 12 points off the bench, while Dwight Powell<\/a> added 10 points, eight rebounds and three steals, anchoring the interior during extended stretches. Dallas shot 53.8% from the field and 43.9% from three-point range. One night after hitting 19 threes, the Mavericks followed with 18 more on 41 attempts.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think we\u2019re just playing with pace and I think we\u2019re playing with confidence, especially on that three-point arc,\u201d Christie said. \u201cBut to be able to take 41 threes tonight, that\u2019s a step in the right direction. Obviously, we made 18 this game, 19 the last game. If we continue that three-point volume, I think we\u2019ll be in a good position to win.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thompson emphasized that the shooting success is rooted in ball movement.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s contagious and it\u2019s fun when everyone is looking for each other,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen the ball is getting sprayed out from the paint to our shooters is when we\u2019re at our best.\u201d<\/p>\n

Utah Jazz Notes and What Comes Next<\/p>\n

Utah was led by Keyonte George<\/a>, who scored 29 points. Brice Sensabaugh<\/a> added 25, Ace Bailey<\/a> finished with 18, and Kyle Filipowski<\/a> recorded 13 points and 12 rebounds. Jazz coach Will Hardy remained without Lauri Markkanen<\/a> for a third straight game due to illness, while Walker Kessler<\/a> was also sidelined.<\/p>\n

The teams split the season series 2-2, with all four meetings played over a 35-day span.<\/p>\n

For Dallas, the win capped a 3-1 homestand and reinforced an offensive blueprint built on shooting, pace, and balance. The Mavericks now head to New York with momentum and growing clarity about how they can function amid ongoing injuries.<\/p>\n

Latest Dallas Mavericks News & NBA Trade Rumors<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Another game turned into yet another historic afternoon for Klay Thompson, especially when the Utah Jazz are involved.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":545835,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[3785],"tags":[495,7,10823,225,7265,149,2619,5991,7138,3716,423,498,967,7139,5989,6,3101,9410,422,427,3972],"class_list":{"0":"post-545834","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-utah-jazz","8":"tag-anthony-davis","9":"tag-basketball","10":"tag-brandon-williams","11":"tag-cooper-flagg","12":"tag-dangelo-russell","13":"tag-dallas-mavericks","14":"tag-daniel-gafford","15":"tag-dwight-powell","16":"tag-jaden-hardy","17":"tag-jason-kidd","18":"tag-jazz","19":"tag-klay-thompson","20":"tag-kyrie-irving","21":"tag-max-christie","22":"tag-naji-marshall","23":"tag-nba","24":"tag-nba-news","25":"tag-p-j-washington","26":"tag-utah","27":"tag-utah-jazz","28":"tag-utahjazz"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/115919322179067486","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/545834","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=545834"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/545834\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/545835"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=545834"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=545834"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=545834"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}