PJ Washington shines, Mavericks fend off Thunder

PJ Washington had a season-high 27 points and a career-high 17 rebounds to lead the visiting Dallas Mavericks to a 121-119 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday.

Kyrie Irving added 23 points as the Mavericks led for most of the game despite playing without Luka Doncic, who was out with a bruised right knee. It was the first game that Doncic missed this season.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander nearly helped the Thunder get a late comeback going — hitting a 3-pointer with 25 seconds left to pull Oklahoma City within three, forcing a jumper with Irving and then winning the jumper.

The Mavericks beat Gilgeous-Alexander with less than five seconds left. Gilgeous-Alexander made the first free throw before intentionally missing the second. Luguentz Dort grabbed the offensive rebound, but his 3-pointer at the buzzer missed the mark.

Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 36 points on 13-of-19 shooting.

Dallas has won back-to-back games. The Thunder had a three-game winning streak snapped and ended a season-long six-game homestand at 4-2.

Washington made a quick mark, hitting a turnaround shot on the game’s first possession, grabbing the rebound at the other end and eventually ending that possession with a 3-pointer. In the first four minutes, Washington had 11 points and four rebounds.

He had 13 points and five rebounds at the end of the first quarter, with the Mavericks leading 39–34. The 39 first quarter points were the most Dallas has scored in a quarter since the opener and the most allowed by Oklahoma City in a quarter this season.

After trailing by 10 early in the third quarter, the Thunder went on a 10-2 run to close the gap.

Gilgeous-Alexander started it in emphatic fashion with a dunk off a feed from Jalen Williams on one end and then a block on Dereck Lively II’s dunk attempt on the other.

Gilgeous-Alexander added a layup down the stretch, then found Dort for a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to two.

But it took less than two minutes for the Mavericks to stretch the lead back to nine thanks to seven quick points by Irving plus a feed to Lively for another basket.

Williams finished the night with 27 points for Oklahoma City, and Dort had 18.

Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said before the game that he hoped Doncic could return Tuesday against New Orleans.

–Field-level media