SAN FRANCISCO – The Golden State Warriors gave Klay Thompson a warm welcome, but at the end of the day it was business as usual as “both teams wanted to win.”

On November 12, Stephen Curry scored 37 points as the Warriors spoiled Thompson’s return to the Bay Area with a 120-117 victory over the Dallas Mavericks in the first round of the NBA (National Basketball Association) Cup. .

Thompson, a beloved member of four NBA championship-winning Golden State teams before joining Dallas in July, received an enthusiastic welcome in his first game back in San Francisco.

The 34-year-old received a cheering honor guard from the Golden State staff upon his arrival at Chase Center, before fans in nautical caps roared their thanks to the player who often commuted to work on his fishing boat.

But despite delighting the home crowd with six three-pointers for a total of 22 points, Thompson was overshadowed by his former teammate Curry, who put together an impressive performance in the fourth quarter to drag the Warriors over the finish line.

The Mavericks looked poised to take the win after battling to a six-point lead at 114-108 with just over three minutes remaining.

But Curry then took control with 10 unanswered points, including a sensational step-back from 28 feet, to put Golden State ahead 118-114, before adding two late free throws to seal the victory.

“There was a lot of emotion but both teams wanted to win. It was a playoff-like atmosphere, with great players making great plays. That’s why we love competition,” Curry told TNT television.

Thompson, meanwhile, said it had felt “surreal” to face his former teammate.

“We’ve defended each other many times in training for Team USA or at the All-Star Games, but a competitive NBA game was pretty surreal. It hurts to be on the other side of one of their blasts. Guy got hot at the end and made some ridiculous shots. “It sucks,” he said.

In other games, Joel Embiid made his long-awaited first appearance of the season, but could not prevent the Philadelphia 76ers from suffering a 111-99 home loss to the New York Knicks.