Klay

Thompson

Thompson came out hot on Saturday, knocking down six three-pointers and scoring 23 points. During the run, he surpassed 17,000 career points and continues to close in on a place in the top 100 in NBA history. Thompson didn’t score after halftime, but the Mavericks didn’t need much from him as they won 138-120. The Mavericks open a four-game Week 14 in New York on Monday.

Dallas’s many absences left more shots available for the players who did play on Thursday, most notably Thompson. Despite coming off the bench, the veteran guard led the Mavericks in field-goal attempts and makes. And Thompson made some history, moving past Damian Lillard into fourth place on the NBA’s career regular-season three-pointers list. Thompson’s ceiling in the short term may be determined by how much time Cooper Flagg misses after spraining his ankle on Wednesday. The longer the rookie sits, the higher Thompson’s ceiling is, given the need for scoring.

Flagg sprained his ankle in the third quarter of Wednesday’s game against the Nuggets. After the game, head coach Jason Kidd mentioned that Flagg had tweaked his ankle in the prior game against the Nets. Flagg has only missed one game this season due to injury, but the Mavericks are likely to be cautious with their top draft pick and the future of their franchise. With Flagg likely out and P.J. Washington questionable, we could see high usage outputs for Naji Marshall and Klay Thompson.

Christie also missed Wednesday’s game against the Nuggets with the same illness. That led to extra minutes for Ryan Nembhard and Klay Thompson, who should both see additional minutes with Cooper Flagg (ankle) also doubtful for this game.

Initially doubtful for Wednesday’s game, Christie is unavailable for the first time since December 23. His absence opens up a spot in the starting lineup, with Klay Thompson and Ryan Nembhard being potential replacements. If there’s a desire to have more shooting on the floor, Thompson should receive the nod as he’s shot the ball well recently.

Christie is expected to miss a game for the first time since before Christmas, which would open up a spot in the starting lineup. Klay Thompson, who has been hot from deep lately, could fill the vacancy in the starting lineup.

Thompson isn’t having a great season, to say the least. He doesn’t provide much outside of scoring and threes and he’s only averaging 11.4 points per game this year. Occasionally, he’ll get hot from downtown, like his old self from the Golden State days. The 35-year-old had 18 points on six threes Monday. The only other category where he totaled more than one of anything was rebounds with two. He’s not worth rostering in most leagues.

Thompson needed just 13 shots to tie season-highs in points and three-pointers on Thursday. His production didn’t come in bunches; it was spread throughout the game, with at least five points in each quarter. Additionally, the four-time NBA champion set a new season-high in assists and finished second on the team in that department. Thompson’s second season in Dallas has featured several highs and lows, but Thursday’s game marked a trend in the right direction after failing to score in double figures in the three previous games.

Thompson has made at least four three-pointers in two of his last three outings. However, while he did a good job on the boards as well, this isn’t enough to make the veteran guard much more than a specialist in deep category leagues. Even with the Mavericks playing four games in Week 11, Thompson can be left on the waiver wire.

Thompson is good to go after initially being probable for Thursday’s game. While Naji Marshall’s usage may decrease after receiving a bump on Tuesday, he’ll remain in the starting lineup. His fantasy value should not take a significant hit with Thompson available.