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DALLAS (AP) — Klay Thompson chatted with Tony Romo during a break early in the fourth quarter, not long before he was wide open for a 3-pointer. He paused, dribbled once, paused again to line up the shot and made it.

The debut in Dallas was a lot better than the finale of Thompson’s thirteen seasons with Golden State.

Thompson set a franchise record in a debut with six 3-pointers and scored 22 points for the first time Thursday night playing alongside Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving in the Mavericks’ 120-109 victory over the San Antonio Spurs in the opener for both teams.

“The feelings were a lot of nerves, anxiety, for a few minutes, and then you see one go through and you feel great,” Thompson said. “Great debut. It’s only one game in October, but it feels good to get the first one out of the way.”

.@KlayThompson set a franchise record for most 3-pointers made in a Mavs debut 💦

Not too shabby, Captain Klay.#MFFL pic.twitter.com/MavMaf8HGk

– Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) October 25, 2024

After missing all 10 of his shots last game with the Warriors in a Play-In Tournament loss in April, Thompson made his first two with the defending Western Conference champions, both inside the arc.

Like the sluggish Dallas team that shot 36% in the first half, Thompson missed his next four shots before shooting his first three in what turned out to be a preview of the second half.

Thompson scored 14 points after the break, going 4-for-5 from long range, while Dallas went 13-for-21 from 3 after shooting just 6-for-23 in the first half. The five-time All-Star and four-time champion with the Warriors also had seven rebounds and three steals.

The 3 after the call with Romo, a former Dallas Cowboys quarterback who was on the court, came during a 16-3 run early in the fourth quarter that gave the Mavericks their first 20-point lead.

Although the break and dribble was something new for the Dallas crowd, Thompson said he has done it on and off throughout his career.

“When you’re getting ready to shoot the ball and you’re so wide open, sometimes you think about it,” Thompson said. “But I heard Luka running across the floor. I’m glad I made it and he didn’t look stupid.’

Thompson finished 7-for-13 overall and 6-for-10 from 3, while Doncic had 28 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists.

The only assist for Thompson came when he took a handoff that came off a screen and looked like he was going to pull up from 3. Instead, he drove briefly before returning to Irving, who hit the 3 on his way to 15 points.

“It’s easy to play with a guy like that,” Doncic said of Thompson. “It makes your life easier. It makes my life easier and Kai’s life easier, it makes the whole team’s life easier. It’s a lot of space. It’s great.”