SACRAMENTO — Klay Thompson scored 16 of his 23 points in Dallas’ dominant second quarter to get redemption for his dud in Sacramento a year ago, helping the Mavericks beat the Kings 120-106 on Wednesday night to advance in the Play-In Tournament.
CBS Sacramento also confirmed Wednesday night that Sacramento and General Manager Monte McNair mutually agreed to part ways following the Kings’ elimination from postseason contention.
McNair has served as the Kings’ GM since the 2020 season and won the NBA’s Executive of the Year award during the 2022-23 season, which saw the Kings make the playoffs for the first time since 2006.
The departure was confirmed by the Kings on Thursday, with Kings owner Vivek Ranadive releasing a statement thanking McNair for his leadership.
“He helped build a strong foundation for continued success here, and we wish him and his family all the best in their future endeavors,” Ranadive stated.
Sources confirmed to CBS News Sacramento on Thursday that the Kings were planning to hire longtime NBA executive Scott Perry as the team’s new general manager.
McNair has been in the hot seat with the Kings being eliminated from the play-in tournament for what is now the second straight season. The 2024-25 campaign was a roller coaster of a season that saw major moves, including the team bringing in veteran all-star DeMar DeRozan, the firing of former Coach of the Year Mike Brown and a mid-season trade that sent longtime franchise star De’Aaron Fox to the San Antonio Spurs. That trade brought Sacramento another veteran in return in Zach LaVine.
Despite the shakeup of the roster and the Kings seeing success in interim head coach Doug Christie taking the lead, Sacramento is now facing another off-season with major questions needing to be addressed.
Sacramento will now miss the playoffs for the 18th time in 19 seasons.
Play-in recap
One year to the day when Thompson missed all 10 shots in his final game for Golden State in a play-in loss in Sacramento, Thompson fueled the win with four 3-pointers in Dallas’ 44-point second quarter. That turned the game into a laugher and kept the Mavericks’ chaotic season alive for at least one more game.
Dallas advanced to play at Memphis on Friday night for the chance to get into the playoffs as the eighth seed in the West. The winner of that game will open the playoffs on Sunday at top-seeded Oklahoma City.
The Mavs have undergone a tumultuous season after trading young superstar Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers in a seismic trade that brought Anthony Davis to Dallas and vitriol from the fan base to the organization.
Star point guard Kyrie Irving went down with a season-ending knee injury shortly after that trade, ending any realistic hopes of another deep playoff run after making it to the NBA Finals last season.
But thanks to Thompson’s shooting and a strong defensive effort, they still have a shot to make it into the playoffs.
Dallas opened the second quarter with a 20-6 run fueled by back-to-back 3s from Thompson. Thompson hit two more 3s later in the quarter as the Mavs built the lead to 23 points at the half, removing any drama.
Davis led Dallas with 27 points. DeMar DeRozan scored 33 points for the Kings, and and Zach LaVine added 20.
