Mavs are making a Klay Thompson realization Warriors fans will blow out of proportion

The Dallas Mavericks weathered the storm on Thursday night, as they battled back after being down by 10 points with four and a half minutes remaining to defeat the Portland Trail Blazers by a score of 117-111. Dallas has now won two games in a row despite Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving being sidelined with injuries, and they are starting to turn a corner in the department of finding ways to win without their superstars.

Dallas' role players came up big in this one, as Jaden Hardy, P.J. Washington, and Dereck Lively II impacted this game in their own way. Washington helped put the game away in this one with a corner three with less than two minutes remaining for Dallas to take their first lead since the middle of the second quarter, and he continues to step up in big moments for the Mavs.

Hardy's shooting was also spectacular in this game as he shot 5-9 from three in the win, and both Hardy and Washington's 3-point shooting helped pick up Klay Thompson as he had a quiet night.

Mavericks know that Thompson doesn't need to close every game

Thompson finished with just three points while shooting 1-6 from the field and 0-4 from downtown, and he was not in the team's closing lineup. He played the first five minutes of the fourth quarter before Hardy subbed in for him, and he did not play for the remainder of the game.

This is not the first time that Thompson has been out of the closing lineup for Dallas, and that's perfectly fine. Dallas doesn't need Thompson to be included in every closing lineup, especially right now when considering the composition of the team. The injuries to Doncic and Irving are making things much harder on him considering that they generate excellent catch-and-shoot looks for him, and Mavericks fans may just have to live with him having occasional quiet performances until at least one of the superstars returns.

Since he wasn't having a great night, Jason Kidd decided to roll with Hardy, and that worked out beautifully for Dallas as they climbed the mountain and won the game. Even though Thompson is playing the least fourth quarter minutes per game of his career this season (7.3), he still rises to the occasion when Dallas needs him late in games. Thompson is shooting a career-high 46.8 percent from three in the fourth quarter of games this year, and his 1.0 made threes per game in the fourth quarter ties a career-high as well. He has made his fair share of big shots for Dallas this season, but those aren't the type of plays that the critics want to remember.

Thompson being on the sidelines during the fourth quarter for the Mavericks is something Golden State Warriors fans have blown out of proportion in the past, and some things just never change. These Warriors fans may still have a bad taste in their mouths from last season considering Thompson shot a career-low 29.7 percent from three in the fourth quarter, which is fair, but this season has been a different story as he has had some powerful moments in the clutch even if it's not every night.

This same group of Warriors fans and general NBA fans have been extra critical of Thompson this season, specifically when he has a poor game or doesn't close the game, but they turn their heads the other way when he has a big performance. Criticism is normal for all-time great players, and there doesn't seem to be any worry on Dallas' end. Thompson feels right at home with the Mavericks, and him being on the bench sometimes in the fourth quarter won't change that.