PJ Washington takes over in Dallas.
Washington, after dropping a playoff career-high 29 points on Thursday night, led the Mavericks past the Oklahoma City Thunder again on Saturday afternoon. Washington scored 27 points and hit five 3-pointers to push the Mavericks to a 105-101 victory in Game 3 of their Western Conference semifinals at the American Airlines Center. The win puts Dallas up 2-1 over the top seed in the West.
The Mavericks again jumped up early in the first quarter after starting the game 6-of-6 from the field. But as if it had been the entire series, the Thunder bounced right back to keep the game close. After cutting Dallas’ lead to one possession near the end of the first, the Thunder used an 11-5 run to open the second quarter, which Jalen Williams capped with a 3-pointer – giving them their first lead since the opening minutes.
The Thunder then took a one-point lead into halftime, thanks to a consecutive run and a huge response to a Luka Dončić bucket from Isaiah Joe – who had ten points off the bench. Washington also scored 19 of its 27 points in the first half.
The Thunder nearly pulled away in the third quarter after using an 11-0 run early in the period, but Washington and the Mavericks responded immediately. They fell behind 16-0 to jump right back in front, taking a four-point lead after Washington hit another 3-pointer in the corner.
Oklahoma City also nearly lost Williams to a nagging ankle injury in the third quarter. He collapsed onto the court after a screen and lay there for a long time clutching his ankle, then staggered from the floor to the locker room. However, he returned to start the fourth quarter and finished the game without much trouble.
Although the Thunder cut it to one possession with just a minute left, it was Irving who flew past Williams and dropped a perfect left-handed floater at the rim – giving the Mavericks enough of a lead to seal the four-point victory.
Washington had six rebounds and two assists to go with his 27 points, putting him at 57 combined points in the last two games for Dallas. He averaged just 12.9 points per game this season. Dončić added 22 points and 15 rebounds, and Irving had 22 points and seven assists.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led Oklahoma City with a near triple-double. He finished with 31 points, 10 rebounds and six assists. Williams added with 16 points and eight assists, and Chet Holmgren dropped 13 points and eight rebounds.
Game 4 of the series takes place on Monday night in Dallas.
This post will be updated soon with more information.
