SAN FRANCISCO – When Dallas Mavericks guard Klay Thompson came to Chase Center as a member of a team for the first time on November 12th Without naming the Golden State Warriors, about 400 Warriors employees lined up in the hallway and greeted him with a warm welcome that led to the visitor’s locker room.

Those employees, along with the fans who filled Chase Center that night, wore captain’s hats that the team handed out in honor of Thompson’s affinity for boating and the water. There was no such fanfare Sunday night during Thompson’s second trip to the Bay Area as an ex-Warriors player, nor was there to be expected.

And that was more to the liking of Thompson, who described Sunday’s semi-emotional return to the Bay Area as “much easier” the second time around.

“Especially not se“I wore all the captain’s hats,” Thompson said. “But I saw a few, which was cool.

“But it’s a lot easier and I felt more comfortable than I did the first time here.”

Thompson was so comfortable and attuned that he scored a season-high 29 points on 9 of 14 shots on Sunday. He was also 7 of 11 from three-point range and went on to convert three consecutive triples to help the Mavs get out of town with an entertaining 143-133 victory over the Warriors.

Th. spent the first 13 years of his career with the Warriors, helping them win four NBA titlesOmpson felt somewhat comfortable after Sunday’s game. He said as far as regular season wins go, this one is special to him and ranks on par with any regular season game he’s ever played, which is why he took the time to honor the moment.

“I just wanted to take advantage of this moment myself because I spent a lot of days here, especially when I couldn’t play,” Thompson said. “And just to look at the crowd in the arena, I just took advantage of that moment because I’ve worked so hard to get back there, to that feeling that I feel like I owe myself a second, um.” to soak it all up.”

Even the fans got in on the act as they started cheering whenever Thompson protected his former Splash Brother teammate Stephen Curry, or vice versa.

“It’s different, but I’m getting more used to it every time we face each other,” Thompson said. “I mean, we protected each other a lot in practice and scrimmages, and you always enjoy the moments when you get to compete against the best players, so that’s cool.

“I have to say that I guarded Steph like I guarded Kobe (Bryant) and (Kevin Durant) and it’s just another story I get to tell.”

Another story Thompson told was what happened after the Mavs charter arrived in the Bay Area on Saturday.

“I drove through my old neighborhood and was able to go to my friend’s house in Oakland and have a great meal,” he said. “I drove past Oracle (arena where the Warriors used to play in Oakland).

“I drove through downtown Oakland and it was very surreal because I was 21 years old when I came here and it’s always special to see the city and the place. So many wonderful memories.”

Thompson’s memory will be all the sweeter knowing that his four free throws in the final moments Sunday – after the Warriors reduced a 19-point deficit to 138-133 – helped secure the Mavs’ victory.

“It will always be special to see Klay play against them for the rest of his career, wherever that may be,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “It will always be special because of what he meant to us.

“It’s good to have the first one (in November) behind us – just the emotions, the welcome. I’m sure he’s happy to have this behind him too.”

Now back to the captain’s hats. Apparently they’re a very popular commodity in the Bay Area, which warms Thompson’s heart. Why?

“Because boating and seamanship are probably the only things that I might enjoy as much as basketball,” Thompson said. “So I’m really happy that I might have a whole new audience of people wearing this hat who might have never been on the water before, that makes me happy.”

WARRIORS ACQUIRE SCHRODER: To bolster their backcourt, the Warriors acquired guard Dennis Schroder and a 2025 second-round draft pick from the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday for De’Anthony Melton, Reece Beekman and three second-round draft picks.

“I’m excited,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “I told Dennis today that he kicked my ass on three different continents. So if you can’t beat him, join him.”

Schroder will play alongside Stephen Curry in the Warriors’ backcourt. Ironically, it’s the same spot that Klay Thompson held before signing a free agent contract with the Mavs last offseason.

“He’s a player, he’s a competitor, a pick-and-roll player, a two-way player,” Kerr said of Schroder. “Losing Melton was a big loss. By the way, I would like to thank De’Anthony and Reece for everything, for their contributions, their commitment, their efforts. It’s always hard to swap guys and we wish them both all the best.

“But you have to do what you have to do to get better and this move made perfect sense in our opinion. We feel like (Schroder) can provide everything we need.”

WASHINGTON THE HEART AND SOUL: After thinking about it, Mavs coach Jason Kidd describes forward PJ Washington as the heart and soul of his team.

“After we completed the PJ trade (last February), we were able to see who PJ is or has become,” Kidd said. “You could say it’s more like the heart and soul of the team.

“(He’s) the guy who does all the dirty work, the guy who goes unnoticed in the sense that he might not get named an MVP or an All-Star, right?He’s someone who holds the team together, someone you can really rely on in every situation, whether defensive or offensive.”

Washington’s value to the Mavs is demonstrated by the fact that they are just 1-6 this season in which he was unable to play. But he was back on the court after missing last Tuesday’s 118-104 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder due to illness.

“When you have guys like (Kyrie Irving) and Luka (Dončić), they tend to get a lot of attention, and rightly so,” Kidd said. “But when you look at PJ, what he brings – his courage, his toughness, his basketball skills – fits perfectly with what we want to achieve.

“You can look at him as kind of the heart and soul of the team. If he’s out, we haven’t done well. The numbers show us we can’t play well without him, so it’s good to have him back.”

MEAGER: The Mavs can make a strong argument that between Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford, they can count these two as part of any center combination in the NBA. Gafford averages 12.5 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.3 blocks and leads the NBA in field goal shooting with an impressive 73.8 percent. Lively, meanwhile, is averaging 8.8 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.6 blocks while shooting a solid 67.6 percent from the floor. Coach Jason Kidd said: “I think if you look at our central position we have the best one-two punch. Both can start, both started for us this year. They both compliment each other, they both push each other, they both cheer each other on, so it’s a great situation to have as a coach. But as a teammate, it’s great when you watch D-Live have success and Gaff is the first one to come off the bench and cheer him on, and vice versa.”

X: @DwainPrice