DALLAS (AP) — Klay Thompson chatted up Tony Romo during a break early in the fourth quarter, not long before being so wide open for a 3-pointer, he paused, dribbled once, paused again to line up the shot and made it.
The Dallas debut was quite a bit better than the finale from Thompson's 13 seasons with Golden State.
Thompson set a franchise record in a debut with six 3-pointers and scored 22 points playing alongside Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving for the first time Thursday night in the Mavericks' 120-109 victory over the San Antonio Spurs in the opener for both teams.
“The feelings were a lot of nerves, anxiousness, for a few minutes, then you see one go through and you feel great,” Thompson said. “Great debut. It’s only one game in October, but it feels good to get the first one out of the way.”
After missing all 10 of his shots in the final game with the Warriors in a play-in tournament loss in April, Thompson made his first two with the defending Western Conference champions, both inside the arc.
Like the sluggish Dallas team that shot 36% in the first half, Thompson missed his next four shots before hitting his first 3 in what turned out to be a preview of the second half.
Thompson scored 14 points after the break and was 4 of 5 from long range, as Dallas went 13 of 21 from 3 after making just 6 of 23 in the first half. The five-time All-Star and four-time champ with the Warriors also had seven rebounds and three steals.
The 3 after the chat with Romo, a former Dallas Cowboys quarterback sitting courtside, came during a 16-3 run early in the fourth quarter that gave the Mavericks their first 20-point lead.
While the pause and the dribble were something new for the Dallas crowd, Thompson said he's done it occasionally throughout his career.
“When you’re getting ready to shoot the ball and you’re that wide open, sometimes you overthink it,” Thompson said. “I heard Luka was running down the floor, though. Happy I made it, and made him not look stupid.”
Thompson finished 7 of 13 overall and 6 of 10 from 3, while Doncic had 28 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists.
The lone assist for Thompson came when he took a handoff coming off a screen and looked like he was going to pull up from 3. Instead, he drove briefly before passing back to Irving, who hit the 3 on his way to 15 points.
“It’s easy to play with a guy like that,” Doncic said of Thompson. “It makes your life easier. It makes my life and Kai’s easier, it makes the whole team’s life easier. It’s a lot of space. It’s great.”
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba
San Antonio Spurs' Harrison Barnes (40) drives against Dallas Mavericks' Klay Thompson (31) during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024, in Dallas, Texas. (AP Photo/Albert Pena)
Dallas Mavericks' guard Klay Thompson (31) goes for a layup as he is guarded by San Antonio Spurs' forward Julian Champagnie (30) during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024, in Dallas, Texas. (AP Photo/Albert Pena)
Dallas Mavericks' guard Klay Thompson drives to the basket during the second half in an NBA basketball game against the San Antonio Spurs, Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024, in Dallas, Texas. (AP Photo/Albert Pena)
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina state lawmakers signed off on a measure Thursday to provide over $600 million more toward Hurricane Helene recovery and relief and also directed some storm-affected counties to open more ballot sites to address crowds and congestion during the early voting period.
In a one-day session, the Republican-controlled legislature unveiled and approved two measures related to the catastrophic flooding and damage, which state officials say resulted in 97 deaths. Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper's administration said Wednesday that Helene likely caused at least a record $53 billion in damages and recovery needs in western North Carolina.
Two weeks ago, the General Assembly approved what was described as a preliminary $273 million relief package, with legislative leaders promising that much more would follow in the coming months. The initial relief cash was designed largely to meet the state’s matching share to meet federal requirements for disaster assistance programs.
Cooper on Wednesday offered his own wide-ranging storm relief and mitigation request of $3.9 billion, with over $1 billion alone in grants to businesses, farmers and utility repairs. Thursday's relief bill doesn't address most of his recommendations. GOP leaders said they just received the governor's proposal earlier in the week and would consider it more closely in the weeks ahead. The legislature returns for more work on Nov. 19.
“The assessment of what needs to be done is still in progress,” Senate leader Phil Berger told reporters. “What we’ve done is deploy an adequate amount of resources at this time to deal with some of the more immediate things that have some time sensitivity.”
The spending measure approved unanimously takes $604 million more from the state's nearly $4.5 billion “rainy day” savings reserve and moves it to the Helene relief fund. Legislators also located $77 million from other funds and reserves for other items.
The relief bill now heading to Cooper's desk includes $50 million in small business loans in affected areas, $100 million in loans for local governments for emergency water and wastewater system repairs, and $5 million more to address mental health needs of public school students and their families in the region.
The state also located other funds to provide tuition grants for college students affected by the storm, including assistance for students enrolled for the spring semester at the University of North Carolina at Asheville.
Some mountain-area Democrats said the relief measure doesn’t go far enough and pleaded for more help more quickly. Businesses already weighed down by loans need grants now to survive, said Democratic Sen. Julie Mayfield of Buncombe County. Mayfield said an eviction moratorium or massive rental assistance also is needed to prevent workers from losing their housing, which would cause them to leave the area.
“Speed matters,” Mayfield said, her voice cracking with emotion. “The people and the economy of our region hang in the balance in this moment — this moment — not in November, not in December, not next year, but now.”
But Republican Sen. Ralph Hise of Mitchell County — like Buncombe, one of the hardest hit areas — said that the legislature is getting more money out to respond to the hurricane than lawmakers have done for previous storms. Hise said damages are so widespread that it will take more than just state government to complete the rebuilding. The federal government, nonprofits and churches will be key players, he said.
“There’s a lot of fear of what’s going to happen in the future and how do we stop that right now,” Hise said. “But we have to deal with our immediate needs first.”
The voting measure approved by wide margins directs elections boards in 13 mountain counties to ensure that, as soon as possible, there is at least one early in-person voting site for every 30,000 registered voters in each county.
According to legislators and the State Board of Elections, the directive is expected only to affect Henderson and McDowell counties. Early voting began Oct. 17 with Henderson and McDowell — both Republican-leaning — only opening one voting site each.
Another site in McDowell County didn't open due to hurricane damage. Henderson County officials had announced before the legislation that a second site would open for a couple of days next week.
With passage of the bill — which becomes law without Cooper because it affects a small number of counties — Henderson County would have four sites, said Sen. Tim Moffitt, a Henderson County Republican. McDowell County would be expected to have a second site after all.
On the opening day of early voting in Henderson County, officials closed lanes on a major highway to help move traffic, and golf carts ferried voters from an auto parts store to the lone voting site. But some House Democrats questioned whether it was appropriate to add early voting sites in Henderson when the county election board had previously decided before Helene to have only one this fall.
Nearly 1.89 million people statewide had cast ballots in person through Wednesday, according to the State Board of Elections, or 126,000 more than at a similar point in 2020. Early in-person voting continues through Nov. 2. Republicans have emphasized early voting this fall compared to previous election cycles.
North Carolina lawmakers convene again to address Hurricane Helene's billions in damages
North Carolina lawmakers convene again to address Hurricane Helene's billions in damages
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper unveils a report about damages caused by Hurricane Helene and his $3.9 billion request to the General Assembly for recovery initiatives during a press conference at the Albemarle Building in Raleigh, N.C., Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Gary D. Robertson)
