DALLAS — The Dallas Mavericks were defeated by the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday night, losing by a final score of 102-96. With the defeat, they fell to 5-13 on the campaign as the Mavs’ difficult season continued. For Dallas, Klay Thompson led the way with 22 points on 7-17 shooting from the field and 6-12 shooting from beyond the arc. It’s been an up and down season for Thompson, but he was in rhythm on Saturday night despite the loss. Aside from Klay’s play and the loss, the game was filled with heated moments and exchanges.
Santi Aldama picked up a technical foul after appearing to attempt to trip Cooper Flagg. Thompson stood up for Thompson by exchanging words with Aldama. After the game, Thompson and Ja Morant — who did not play due to injury — exchanged words. Thompson was asked about the moments during his postgame press conference.
Klay Thompson wanted to stand up for Cooper Flagg tonight. Here, he explains his exchanges with Ja Morant and Aldama. Says Morant “rarely takes accountability” pic.twitter.com/j06l1u6lcD
— Joey Mistretta (@JoeyMistretta_) November 23, 2025
“With the tall guy (Aldama), I thought just, like, ‘that’s not cool,’” Thompson told reporters. “I’ve seen them do dirty stuff before. I remember in the playoffs, 2022, they broke my teammate’s elbow, dirty hit. That made me think of that. I don’t like seeing that done to a rookie, that’s not cool… Don’t be dirty, that’s not it… With Ja, he’s a funny guy. He has a lot to say all the time, especially for a guy that rarely takes accountability.”
Thompson was then asked what Morant told him during their heated postgame exchange.
“Nothing of intelligent depth,” Thompson said of Morant’s message to him. “It was really just running his mouth. He’s been running his mouth for a long time. It’s funny, you run your mouth when you’re on the bench, it’s kind of the story of his career so far. Just leaving us wanting more. We all want to see him out there and do his best, but he’s just been letting a lot of other stuff get in the way of that… We need our best players to be out there.
“When you’re a star, it comes with a great responsibility. I hate to see that go to waste.”
Klay’s overall energy impacted the Mavs without question in the game despite the loss. He helped keep them in the contest.
“I thought he brought great energy for a back-to-back, something that we needed,” head coach Jason Kidd told reporters. “I thought he was a big reason why we were in the game, and so we need that energy, especially on a back-to-back… But I thought his energy was really, really good.”
The Mavs will now embark upon a four-game road trip, with their first contest of the trip scheduled for 7:30 PM EST in Miami against the Heat.
