That Luka Doncic reacted after his failed Game 1 was expected. On the other hand, that PJ Washington finished as co-top scorer for the Mavericks in this second round, it was undoubtedly a parameter that the Thunder had not taken into account! Since his arrival in Dallas at the trade deadline, the former Hornets power forward has brought a lot to both ends of the field, and last night, he hit very hard: 29 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and 1 against in 40 minutes. At 11 out of 18 on shots, Washington especially hurt the Thunder with its 7 out of 11 from 3-point range!
Luka Doncic's quick address freed up space, and Washington struck in the corner, at 45°… After his 3 out of 3 in the first quarter, we also saw him impose his physicality near the circle to score with the foul, or playing behind the defense on a throw-in. All at important moments of the match. Whether it's fending off the Thunder's comeback in the first quarter, or giving a 10-point lead in the 4th quarter.
He thanks Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving
Without forgetting his defense, and that was also his priority in between. “We wanted to put pressure on defense, and try to make stops without making a mistake to run and play in transition” he explains. “We had a lot of open shots, and kudos to Luka and Kyrie for creating them for us. »
With 29 points, 11 rebounds and 7 3-point baskets, Washington signs three personal records in the same meeting, and his performance will force Mark Daigneault to review his plans to prevent him from taking advantage of the spaces created by the pair again. Doncic-Irving. “Kyrie and Luka attract so much attention from the defense that the 3-pointer in the corners is wide open. I just put my shots in, and credit goes to them for finding me. »
| PJ Washington | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2019-20 | CHA | 58 | 30 | 45.5 | 37.4 | 64.7 | 1.0 | 4.5 | 5.5 | 2.1 | 2.7 | 0.9 | 1.6 | 0.8 | 12.2 |
| 2020-21 | CHA | 64 | 31 | 44.0 | 38.6 | 74.5 | 1.5 | 5.1 | 6.5 | 2.5 | 2.7 | 1.1 | 2.0 | 1.2 | 12.9 |
| 2021-22 | CHA | 65 | 27 | 47.0 | 36.5 | 71.6 | 1.3 | 3.9 | 5.2 | 2.3 | 2.3 | 0.9 | 1.3 | 0.9 | 10.3 |
| 2022-23 | CHA | 73 | 33 | 44.4 | 34.8 | 73.0 | 1.0 | 3.9 | 4.9 | 2.4 | 2.6 | 0.9 | 1.5 | 1.1 | 15.7 |
| 2023-24 * | All Teams | 73 | 30 | 43.6 | 32.0 | 68.3 | 1.2 | 4.5 | 5.6 | 1.9 | 2.3 | 1.0 | 1.3 | 0.8 | 12.9 |
| 2023-24 * | CHA | 44 | 29 | 44.6 | 32.4 | 71.3 | 1.2 | 4.1 | 5.3 | 2.2 | 2.6 | 0.9 | 1.5 | 0.7 | 13.6 |
| 2023-24 * | DAL | 29 | 32 | 42.1 | 31.4 | 62.7 | 1.1 | 5.1 | 6.2 | 1.5 | 2.0 | 1.2 | 1.0 | 0.9 | 11.7 |
| Total | 333 | 30 | 44.7 | 35.4 | 70.5 | 1.2 | 4.4 | 5.5 | 2.2 | 2.5 | 1.0 | 1.5 | 1.0 | 12.9 | |
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.
