PJ Washington ends scary slump in epic fashion, proves he still runs OKC

The Dallas Mavericks desperately needed someone to “take care of business” after losing four of their last five games.

They certainly got that in their victory against the Oklahoma City Thunder in their first game since the hard-fought playoff series of the 2023-24 season.

While the Mavericks were coming off a much-needed win against the San Antonio Spurs, they found themselves in the water in the win column due to many close losses.

One of the guys who needed to send a message was power forward PJ Washington, and that’s exactly what he did in the 405.

Washington just finished his best performance of the year and it happened to be against his arch nemesis, the Thunder.

The game itself should not have been as close as it was. In a 121-119 victory in which Dallas won back-to-back games, Washington had to make a key drive against Lu Dort in a desperation move at the end of the fourth quarter buzzer.

Washington contributed on both sides of the ball. He was on a heater to start, shooting 3-3 from downtown to start the contest.

Washington would finish with 27 points and 17 rebounds. This was by far his best performance of the season, and arguably one of his best as a Mav. It was something the Mavericks desperately needed from him.

Going from an alarming slump to finding his range against OKC came at the perfect time when the Mavericks were without their star, Luka Doncic, due to a right knee contusion. Washington’s 3-point shooting has been shaky all season, but Sunday night was different. He let it fly without hesitation and the Mavs got ahead early because of his strong start.

There was some concern after the Indiana loss about guys not being able to play against and defend for long stretches. While playing the Thunder without guys like Chet Holmgren or Isaiah Hartenstein, the Mavericks outscored OKC 53-29. Washington had a big part in that by securing the 17th.

The question of PJ Washington temporarily staying in the starting lineup was questioned by some fans early in the season, but even Washington had once addressed the way to erase their slow start.

He took games at Paycom Center to heart.

“I love playing here. I love this gym, obviously I love beating them too. It was a great win for us and I was just ready to play tonight,” Washington said.

Washington answered the concern against the Thunder when it looked like he was gone at one point earlier in the year. Rebounding was an advantage for Dallas due to its size, but there’s no doubt that Washington’s shooting had a massive impact against OKC.

His free throw was perfect. Washington was 10-10 and picked up right where it left off in the playoff series against Oklahoma City.

Washington and the bigs need to eat on the glass, especially when Washington is out shooting the rock. If you make Washington shoot and rebound like he did against OKC in this matchup, there’s almost no stopping the man who “stands on business” against his opponents.

He is known to bring his best performances against the Thunder, and OKC fans walked out of that arena wondering how Washington has turned into a storm breaker.