The Dallas Mavericks continued an impressive start to the season with a 143-133 win over the Golden State Warriors on Sunday night while setting the record for the most combined three-point jump shots in the victory.
Dallas and Golden State combined to make 48 three-point jump shots, breaking the previous record of 44 made shots. The Mavericks shot 21-of-41 from behind the arc, and the Warriors made 27-of-54 attempts.
The Mavericks were led in this game by star guard Luka Doncic, who collected his third triple-double of the season with 45 points, 11 rebounds, and 13 assists in 38 minutes.
Forward Klay Thompson also contributed 29 points while shooting 7-of-11 from the three-point line in his second game back in Golden State.
Thompson spent the first 13 seasons of his career with the Warriors and said after the game that he was “lucky enough to set records here and have incredible memories,” which is something he tries to “tap into that every time” he returns to the arena.
“And it was just as fun as the first time I came back, especially seeing all the number 11 jerseys and seeing the young fans, seeing how much of an impact I was able to have while I was here. It makes me incredibly proud of what I was able to do,” he added, according to The Mavericks.
This game got Dallas back on a winning track. With an overall record of 17-9, the team tied for the third-best record in the Western Conference and was just 3.5 games behind the Oklahoma City Thunder for the top overall seed.
Dallas has accumulated an impressive record of 12-2 over the team’s last 14 games this season, with the only two losses coming in overtime against the Atlanta Hawks and the Thunder in a playoff rematch.
The Mavericks’ success over the past two seasons has created a mindset in the locker room that this team can compete with anybody in the league, prompting forward PJ Washington to say that the team is solely focused on winning an NBA Championship.
“It’s championship or bust. We not trying to just get to the Western Conference finals. Obviously we have a chip on our shoulders from last season so our goal is to get back there and avenge ourselves and get our goal. We feel like we have the team to do it,” said Washington, per Landon Thomas.
Dallas will look to continue this run to the championship over the remainder of the season. The Mavericks are now turning their attention to a game against the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday at 7:30 p.m.