OKLAHOMA CITY — P.J. Washington delivered an impressive performance with 27 points and a personal best of 17 rebounds, leading the Dallas Mavericks to a narrow 121-119 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday night. This win was achieved despite the absence of the Mavericks’ star guard Luka Doncic, who missed the game due to a bruised right knee.
Entering the matchup, Washington had been averaging slightly over eight points and seven rebounds per game. However, he significantly increased his output in the crucial game for Dallas. Kyrie Irving also contributed to the Mavericks’ success, scoring 23 points and facilitating an efficient offensive display, with the team shooting 48% from the field.
On the other side, the Thunder were led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who had a remarkable night, netting 36 points. Jalen Williams also added 27 points to the Thunder’s effort. Before this game, Oklahoma City was boasting an impressive 11-2 record, the best in the Western Conference, and they maintained a solid performance even without Chet Holmgren, improving to 3-1 in his absence.
The Mavericks had a comfortable lead at 112-98 with just over six minutes left in the game, but the Thunder mounted a comeback to close the gap to 121-118. In a tense moment with eight seconds remaining, Gilgeous-Alexander was able to tie up Irving, resulting in a jump ball, which he successfully won. Oklahoma City then called a timeout with 6.6 seconds to go.
The situation intensified when the Mavericks fouled Gilgeous-Alexander with 4.3 seconds remaining on the clock. He managed to sink the first free throw but missed the second attempt. Lu Dort had a chance to win the game for the Thunder but unfortunately missed a contested three-pointer as time expired.
Key observations from the matchup included the Mavericks effectively using their height advantage, leading to a significant rebounding differential of 53-29 over the Thunder. Conversely, Oklahoma City, which had previously been able to compensate for their smaller lineup by forcing turnovers, found it challenging as they faced a Mavericks’ team that committed just 16 turnovers—their lowest in recent times.
One of the pivotal moments of the game came when Gilgeous-Alexander executed a beautiful move to fake Naji Marshall, followed by a step-back three-pointer that narrowed the Mavericks’ lead to 121-118 with only 25.2 seconds left.
A notable statistic from the game was the free-throw shooting, where the Mavericks converted 30 of their 36 attempts, while the Thunder made 19 out of 25.
Looking ahead, the Mavericks are set to host the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday, while the Thunder will make their way to San Antonio on the same day.