3 takeaways from Mavericks' home demolition of Wizards

Dallas took the Wizards to the woodshed on Monday night.

Jan 27, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Klay Thompson (31) looks to moves the ball past Washington Wizards guard Bilal Coulibaly (0) during the game at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The Dallas Mavericks smoked the Washington Wizards 130-108 on Monday night, and the game never felt as close as the final score indicated. Dallas led by at least 20 points for the final 39 minutes and 24 seconds of the game, which is an absurd statement. Klay Thompson set the tone early, hitting seven three-pointers in the first quarter, allowing Dallas to take off from there.

It was good to see Dallas beat a bad team, something they hadn't done a great job of since Luka Doncic went down on Christmas Day with his calf strain, as they've suffered losses to teams like the New Orleans Pelicans (who Dallas plays Wednesday) and the Charlotte Hornets recently.

Here are three takeaways from this blowout win.

READ MORE: Klay Thompson knew Luka Doncic would be special because of Kobe Bryant

1. Klay Thompson Setting the Tone

Jan 27, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Klay Thompson (31) makes a three point basket against the Washington Wizards during the first quarter at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Even if Klay Thompson isn't the same player he once was, he's still capable of vintage performances like we saw on Monday night. His 21-point, seven-three-pointer display felt like the prime Splash Brothers era. That was enough of a kill shot to dampen Washington's energy from the beginning. He hadn't shot the ball much in his last five games, but he made up for it on Monday.

2. Olivier-Maxence Prosper's Continued Improvement

Jan 27, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Olivier-Maxence Prosper (8) reacts to being fouled during the second quarter against the Washington Wizards at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Olivier-Maxence Prosper has made real strides over the last few weeks, turning his energy and effort into production. He tied his career-high on Monday with 20 points on 7/11 shooting, adding in five rebounds. He also knocked in two of his four three-pointers. He's becoming someone that the Mavericks need to consider keeping a part of the rotation, even once everyone is healthy.

3. Wow, the Wizards are BAD

Jan 27, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Washington Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma (33) looks on during the first quarter against the Dallas Mavericks at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

It's hard to describe just how bad the Wizards are by only looking at the box score, but watching them for 48 minutes can be painstaking. Sometimes, they'd just give Dallas a free lane to the basket, almost seemingly on purpose. And I can bring up the stat again that the Mavericks led by at least 20 points for basically the final 40 minutes of the game, a Mavericks team missing Luka Doncic, Dereck Lively II, Naji Marshall, and more. This is going to be a very long rebuild for the Wizards.

READ MORE: How did the newest Maverick perform in his NBA debut against the Wizards?

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