Klay Thompson entered Wednesday’s game against the Denver Nuggets at American Alrlines Center with a significant milestone on his mind.
The longtime sharpshooter had 2,801 career 3-pointers and needed only four more to pass Damian Lillard (2,804) for fourth in the NBA’s all-time record books.
However, after an optimistic first quarter, Thompson went into a drought and missed tying the milestone by just one 3-pointer. He ended the night with 2,803 triples in a close 118-109 loss for the Mavericks.
Perhaps even worse, the Mavericks lost two more players to the injury bug.
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Cooper Flagg found Thompson for his first 3-pointer of the game, but the rookie’s night came to an early end shortly after he awkwardly rolled his left ankle in the second quarter, the same ankle he injured two nights prior.
After halftime, Daniel Gafford reaggravated his lingering right ankle sprain in the third quarter and was ruled out for the remainder of the game.
Without Flagg, the Mavericks couldn’t muster enough offense to compete with a Nikola Jokic-less Nuggets, but Jamal Murray made up the difference for his team with a game-high 33 points and five assists.
Mavericks coach Jason Kidd did not have an update for Flagg and Gafford after the game.
“Those are two guys we are depending on, but next guy up and the group that was out there fighting gave us a chance,” Kidd said.
Naji Marshall scored a team-high 24 points, while Brandon Williams, who returned from a two-game absence with an illness, paced the bench with 20 points and seven rebounds.
The Mavericks were already without Anthony Davis, Kyrie Irving, Dereck Lively II, Dante Exum and Max Christie, who missed Wednesday’s game with an illness.
Even with the return of PJ Washington and Williams, the Mavericks couldn’t hold off the Nuggets, who won their third straight game.
The 3-point line was kind to the Nuggets, but not so much for the Mavericks. Denver connected on 16 of 38 from beyond the arc, while Dallas made just 5 of 34.
Thompson made just two of those triples on seven attempts and finished with only eight points off the bench.
It appeared Thompson would reach Lillard’s mark rather quickly once his number was called with 6:26 left in the first quarter. Exactly 24 seconds later, Thompson ran to the right corner. It didn’t take long for Flagg to find the vet for his first triple of the night, a tightly contested make over former Mavericks guard Tim Hardaway Jr.
At the 2:27 mark of the first quarter, Thompson benefited from a sliver of space thanks to a quick ball screen and rose for his second attempt as soon as he caught the ball from Caleb Martin.
Splash. Two down. Two to go.
Midway through Thompson’s pursuit of his latest milestone, the Mavericks’ injury misfortune grew worse when Flagg went down after guarding Peyton Watson. The 19-year-old suffered a similar injury in Monday’s win over the Nets, but managed to return in that game.
Not this time. Flagg’s night was officially over after halftime.
“This is the norm,” Kidd said. “This is who we are. The character has been displayed in tough times, but we keep fighting. We always say next man up. That is a true statement because of the injuries.”
Thompson was no longer able to take advantage of his ability to drive and attract multiple defenders. That led to fewer opportunities for clean looks.
Thompson had a chance to tie Lillard’s mark early in the fourth quarter, but missed an open 3-pointer. He shook it off, but it was the final opportunity because he didn’t play the rest of the game.
Four players remain ahead of Thompson on the NBA’s all-time 3-pointers list: Lillard (2,804), Ray Allen (2,973), James Harden (3,291) and his former Splash Brother teammate, Stephen Curry (4,201).
Thompson will have a better chance of securing his place at fourth in Thursday’s quick-turnaround game against the Utah Jazz.
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