NEW ORLEANS — The Dallas Mavericks defeated the New Orleans Pelicans by a final score of 137-136 on Wednesday night. Zion Williamson did everything he could to help keep the Pelicans in the game, but Kyrie Irving led Dallas to a big victory with 25 points. Klay Thompson added 20 points and six three-pointers in the game. Irving told reporters that the Mavs are “making an emphasis” to get Thompson more involved, something that has been displayed in recent action.

“We're making an emphasis to get him involved and to keep him involved throughout the game,” Irving said of Thompson following the Mavs' win. “Value his minutes… And also call his number when we don't have anything offensively. He's one of those emergency buttons for us. But when he stays in a rhythm and he stays engaged within the game, or we keep him engaged as a teammate, he does great things for us. Even when he's not shooting particularly well, we just know that we can rely on him as an anchor on defense.”

Klay Thompson's impact on Mavericks

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Thompson has endured his share of ups and downs since joining the Mavs. In addition to some injury trouble, Thompson has had a few quiet nights this season. Part of that has been due to Dallas not keeping him as involved in the offense as necessary, which is something they are working to fix.

Klay was locked in during the Mavericks' 130-108 victory against the Washington Wizards on Monday. He enjoyed another strong performance on Wednesday. Perhaps the future Hall of Famer is finding consistency with the Mavs.

As long as the Mavericks continue to make an effort to keep him involved, Thompson will have an opportunity to make a significant impact throughout the 2024-25 campaign.

And it goes without saying, but it is a true luxury to have an “emergency button” such as Klay Thompson.