” He plays well. We're going to have to cut that if we want to win this series, that's clear.”. For having rubbed shoulders with him in Kentucky, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander knows better than anyone the capabilities of a PJ Washington in full confidence. After OKC's new defeat for the first game of the series in Dallas last night, SGA could only see the obvious. For the second time in two games, the X factor was called PJ Washington, with his 29 points in Game 2 then his 27 units in Game 3.
The Thunder chose to complicate the task of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, which had the consequence of opening up shooting opportunities or spaces for other players. An adjustment that the former interior of the Hornets worked tirelessly to sanction, which has the merit of bearing fruit, since Dallas won twice!
“I just tried to attack mismatches, take open shots, and be aggressive on both ends of the court,” confided the person concerned after the match. “I have to credit my teammates for finding me and putting me in good situations for me to succeed. For me, it's just about fun and games. I've been waiting my whole career to get to this point, so I'm enjoying every second of it.”
OKC's dilemma
The success of PJ Washington is also the symbol of the strength of this Dallas workforce version 2023-2024, remodeled with the arrivals of PJ Washington and Daniel Gafford, but also the continued rise in power of Derek Lively II, who offer more density physicality and size with the racquet of Jason Kidd. Yesterday, the three interiors again contributed greatly to the success of the Mavs, pressing on the weak points of the Thunder, limited in terms of size and weight on the interior positions.
“Maybe it wasn't the case in the past, but it's a different team and this one is built to be physical,” confirmed Jason Kidd after the match. “If we have to alternate and show finesse, we can do that too.”
It is also this versatility of PJ Washington, in perfect “stretch four”, which hurts the Thunder, with his 12/23 3-pointers cumulatively for two games. We can imagine that special attention will be paid to him during Game 4, and that the role player will become a major issue in OKC's “scouting report”. For their part, Dallas will do its best to keep him in his comfort zone.
“We believe in him. He goes there with a lot of confidence, being aggressive, and he must continue like that”for his part underlined Luka Doncic.
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
