‘He Be Hitting People’: P.J. Washington Leaves A Mark On Giannis Antetokounmpo In 41 Physical Minutes As Dallas Mavericks Beat Miami Heat

MIAMI — P.J. Washington tied up Giannis Antetokounmpo for three jump balls Monday night and played a game-high 40 minutes, 38 seconds, finishing with 20 points and 9 rebounds in the Dallas Mavericks’ 113-109 win over the Miami Heat at Kaseya Center.

Washington shot 6-of-15 from the field, including 4-of-11 from 3-point range, and made all 4 of his free throws. He added 2 assists, 2 steals, and a block, grabbed 3 of his 9 rebounds on the offensive end, and finished plus-5.

His 3-pointer off a Cooper Flagg pass with 30.8 seconds left in the first half gave Dallas a 53-52 halftime lead. Another with 27.2 seconds left in the third quarter cut Miami’s lead to 83-81.

Two-way guard Walter Clayton Jr. signed with Dallas on Oct. 21, five days before the game. He said Washington has been shooting the ball well and rebounding, too.

“Main thing is he be hitting people. I think people don’t understand how big those little hits go as the game goes on, how important they are,” Clayton said. “And P.J.’s done that every game I watch, he’s been constantly doing that. So P.J.’s great for us, obviously shooting the ball well, and great rebounder, so he’s been great for us.”

Dusty May On P.J. Washington’s 41 Minutes

Washington’s first jump ball with Antetokounmpo came with 1:17 left in the first half and Miami ahead 50-47. The tip went to Flagg, Antetokounmpo lost the ball on the next possession, and Flagg’s pull-up 3-pointer tied the game at 50.

Washington also blocked an Antetokounmpo drive with 1:36 left in the third quarter. He went 0-of-3 from the field in the fourth quarter, but he checked back in with 4:52 left and played the rest of the way, including the final 4:08 after Daniel Gafford fouled out.

With 5.5 seconds left, Zaccharie Risacher blocked a Davion Mitchell drive, and Washington grabbed the final rebound. Antetokounmpo finished with 29 points, 14 rebounds, and 11 assists, but had 4 points on 2-of-6 shooting in the fourth quarter.

In his opening statement, Mavericks coach Dusty May credited Washington with coming up with the ball on the game’s final possession. May said he thought Washington was engaged for almost all of his minutes.

“I think P.J.’s been great in stretches every game. For him to play 41 minutes tonight, and I haven’t reviewed the film, but I would say 39 of them were like really intentional, focused, determined to do whatever it takes to win,” May said. “Sometimes from my seat it looks like he can just be in the game and not completely engaged. I thought he was engaged for almost the full 41 minutes.”

“The last loose ball he came up with, there was five or 10 of those throughout the game that he just found a way to go get, and then obviously made a huge three,” May continued. “He’s a weapon because he can stretch the defense, he gets in the paint, he’s physical with his bump-offs, some little short shots, and then he’s got a nose for the ball too. He’s quick to loose balls.”

Entering Monday, Washington was averaging 14.0 points and 7.0 rebounds through three games. He is in his eighth NBA season.

Zaccharie Risacher And Cooper Flagg On Washington

Risacher, the No. 1 overall pick in 2024, is in his third NBA season. He said he asks Washington questions and follows his example as a young player.

“P.J. is great. He’s a dog too. I feel like he’s a great leader. And as a young guy, you want to follow his lead, follow his example,” Risacher said. “And like you say, he’s great defensively, also offensively. But defensively, he’s going on a whole other level, and I feel like especially for me, be able to see him, be able to watch him make plays, winning plays, it’s great. But also, asking questions, he’s open, he’s really open-minded.”

Gafford finished with 8 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 blocks before fouling out. Flagg said Washington has been asked to take on some tall tasks on defense.

“Like I said, same as Zacch, I mean, super valuable. I mean, P.J. has been doing a lot for us [on] the defensive end, he’s been asked to take on some pretty tall tasks,” Flagg said. “So I think he’s done an incredible job, just doing whatever he can [to] help our team win. P.J. has been knocking his shots, doing what he does on the offensive end. But defensively, he’s been our anchor with him and Gaff, and they’ve been holding down the fort.”

“So it’s been really big for him stepping up, Zacch stepping up, Gaff has been stepping up on the defensive side of the ball,” Flagg continued. “And I think that’s what’s making us better.”

Dallas (2-2) hosts the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday at American Airlines Center, with tip-off set for 8:30 p.m. CT.