‘PJ Is Gonna Be PJ’: P.J. Washington Posts 21 And 10, Hits Go-Ahead Three For Dallas Mavericks Against San Antonio Spurs
SAN ANTONIO — With 5:38 left Wednesday night, P.J. Washington hit a three-pointer that gave the Dallas Mavericks a 103-100 lead over the San Antonio Spurs, Dallas’ first lead since the first quarter. Washington finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds, but the Mavericks lost 112-111 at Frost Bank Center.
He shot 7-of-18 from the field, 3-of-8 from three, and 4-of-5 at the free-throw line, with 3 assists and 4 offensive rebounds in 39:00. Dallas finished with a 28-24 edge in second-chance points.
“I thought he made a couple good decisions on the pick-and-roll. I thought we were able to get some matchup advantages, he posted up, which caused some in-and-out jump shots and some overreactions,” Mavericks coach Dusty May said. “And then his physicality in the second half, I thought he was high-pointing rebounds, he was throwing his body around. I thought he played extremely active in the second half, but he also played well in the first half.”
P.J. Washington Gives Dallas Mavericks First Lead Since First Quarter
Washington scored 8 points in the first quarter, including a three-pointer off a Kyrie Irving pass and a tip-in. He had 13 points at halftime, then added 8 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 assists after the break.
Daniel Gafford did not play after the 7:55 mark of the third quarter. Dallas opened the fourth with Washington, Walter Clayton Jr., Caleb Martin, Naji Marshall, and Cooper Flagg on the floor, and the Mavericks outscored San Antonio 31-22 in the period.
With 1:49 left and Dallas down 109-108, Washington blocked a Dylan Harper layup in transition, but Victor Wembanyama tipped in the miss. With 24.2 seconds left and the score tied at 111, Washington fouled Wembanyama, who made 1 of 2 free throws for the final margin.
Washington played the five in Dallas’ smaller lineups after halftime. Morez Johnson Jr. played 8:18 in the second half, and Gafford played 4:05.
“PJ is great, whatever position you put him at, PJ is gonna be PJ,” Marshall said. “He’s a very big part of this team. We’re gonna need him down the stretch. It’s still a very young season. And I like where we’re at, getting better every game.”
Naji Marshall, Dusty May On Mavericks’ Small Lineups
Clayton played 11:17 of the fourth quarter and had 4 of his 5 assists in the period. Martin, who did not score, played 6:57 of the fourth and was plus-10 in it.
“I think a small group came in with a lot of energy. I think we [got] rebounds together. I think we ran the floor and just played together as a unit,” Marshall explained.
Clayton finished with 8 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists in 21:20. He was also plus-10 in the fourth quarter.
“I thought he was playing well. I think he played really well,” May explained.
Dallas had 10 fast-break points in the second half after scoring none in the first, and it committed 8 turnovers for the game. San Antonio outrebounded the Mavericks 61-50 and had 22 offensive rebounds.
“Much better job taking care of the basketball. If we do that, we’re going to be in these games like everything else,” May said. “So as soon as you plug one hole, there’s another one to address. And so now we’ve got to figure the rebounding thing out. We’ve got a long ways to go, but we at least took a step forward in the second half.”
Dallas (4-4) hosts the Utah Jazz on Friday at American Airlines Center at 7 p.m. CT.
