P.J. Washington Provides Spark Mavericks in Return to Defeat Pelicans: 'He's a Budding Star'
P.J. Washington shines with 24 points in his return to the lineup as the Dallas Mavericks beat the New Orleans Pelicans 111-103, extending their win streak.
DALLAS — Kyrie Irving and P.J. Washington led the Dallas Mavericks (31-26) to a 111-103 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans (13-43) at the American Airlines Center on Friday. The victory improved Dallas to five wins in its last six games.
Irving, who scored 35 points, reflected on the team's response from the NBA All-Star break against a physical Pelicans team. Since the Luka Dončić trade, Irving has remained in a top offensive option role, averaging 28.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 4.2 assists in six games. He’s getting the job done with impressive efficiency, shooting 47.2% overall, 40.4% from deep, and 92.3% on free throws.
"When somebody's getting up underneath you or making it more physical, they usually are testing you to see how you respond,” Irving said. “So I just wanted to respond at a high level and dish it back out a little bit, make sure we created some separation on both ends of the floor and made it tough for them.”
Irving also discussed the Mavericks’ mindset after the All-Star break and into the second half of the season. Dallas continued to play without Anthony Davis (left adductor strain), Dereck Lively II (right ankle stress fracture), Daniel Gafford (right knee sprain), Dwight Powell (right hip strain), and Caleb Martin (right hip strain).
"I told my guys before the game that the first half, just don't think too much of it,” Irving said. “We're coming out of the All-Star break, just get up and down a little bit, blow some carbon out of your lungs, see that ball go in the rim a few times, and then the second half, we'll settle in.”
Returning from a sprained right ankle, Washington scored 24 points, 20 of which came in the first half, helping the Mavericks overcome a sluggish start. Washington, averaging 14.5 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 2.3 assists this season, provided a significant boost for Dallas as he continues to elevate his game.
"When he's not in the lineup, we miss him out there," Irving noted about Washington. "He's getting accustomed to playing that four or five role for us, being a playmaker, being able to stretch out the opposing centers to the three-point line, making their help a little bit more difficult at the rim."
Irving continued to describe Washington as a “budding star” in the NBA.
“He’s a budding star for our team, and he’s showcasing that,” Irving said of Washington. “His numbers have showcased that. So I think it’s about time we started furthering that conversation about P.J. Washington consistently doing these things and being a great asset for our team as one of our leaders and making money plays.”
Naji Marshall, adding 15 points and 10 rebounds off the bench, praised Washington's impact, describing him as someone who provides a spark on both ends.
“Unbelievable,” Marshall said. “He (Washington) is a big body, can get to the rim, can shoot. Defensively, he’s amazing. Just a spark to our team that we needed. I love to have him back. He’s just an all-around threat. He makes us so much better.”
The game also highlighted the challenges posed by Pelicans' Zion Williamson, who scored 29 points. Despite this, the Mavericks' strategic adjustments in the second half effectively contained him. He stepped up with Dejounte Murray sidelined for the remainder of the season due to an Achilles injury and after the team traded Brandon Ingram to Toronto.
“I thought we were trying. He's not easy to guard,” Kidd said of Williamson. “We were sending him to the free throw line a lot in that first half. I thought the guys did a better job in the second half. He's super talented, and we tried to double-team him to make others beat us. I thought the group did a great job of being able to hit, rotate, and then rebound the balls being small.”
The Mavericks ignited their offense early, opening the quarter with a significant 10-0 run sparked by sharpshooting from Irving and Washington. This early burst set the tone, establishing a 10-point lead by the end of the period, 32-22. Dallas showcased its three-point shooting prowess, hitting 50% of its attempts from beyond the arc.
In the second quarter, the Pelicans fought back, closing the gap to just three points. With contributions from Trey Murphy III and CJ McCollum, New Orleans outscored Dallas 31-24 in this period, taking advantage of turnovers. Even with this surge from the Pelicans, the Mavericks maintained a narrow 56-53 lead at halftime.
Regaining control in the third, the Mavericks were led by Irving, who added 13 points to his tally in this period alone. Dallas extended their lead slightly by outscoring the Pelicans 30-29, with strategic defensive adjustments that contained Williamson, limiting his ability to dominate inside.
In the fourth quarter, Dallas orchestrated a critical 7-0 run in the middle, widening its lead and reinforcing its grip on the game. Although the Pelicans sought to rally, the Mavericks' defense grew more stringent. However, McCollum’s three-pointer with 2:53 left cut the Mavericks’ lead to 103-99. Threes from Marshall and Irving sparked a 6-0 run to seal the victory, setting up a 109-99 advantage for Dallas with under a minute to play.
Dallas thrived from beyond the arc during the game, making 16 of 44 attempts. This was their 21st game of the season with at least 15 three-pointers, boosting their record to 16-5 in those matchups. Moreover, by limiting the Pelicans to just 103 points, the Mavericks maintained their strong defensive performance this season, improving to 13-1 in games where they have held opponents under 105 points. New Orleans struggled to generate offense outside of its top three scorers, including Williamson’s 29 on 11 of 15 shooting—even Murphy’s 20 points and McCollum’s 16 points came on a combined 13 of 35 shooting. Outside Williamson, the Pelicans shot 35.1% from the floor and dropped to 26.9% when excluding Murphy and McCollum.
Max Christie continued his impressive start to his Maverick career, averaging 17.1 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 3.3 assists in seven games. Finishing with 16 points, four rebounds, and two rebounds, Christie continued his streak of scoring 15 or more points in each game since being traded to Dallas. The team trusts Christie as he continues to expand his offensive game.
“I would just say his poise and also his skill level, isoing and also just making plays off the dribble and continuing our offense to allow it to flow, come off pick and rolls, be there to catch and shoot,” Irving said of Christie. “So he's doing a lot of the great nuances you need to be a great perimeter player on both ends of the floor. And then he's taking advantage of his opportunities when no help is there. We got shooters out there, you create those lane opportunities and you get one on one against anybody in the NBA, we're gonna trust you that you could beat your man one on one and at least get a great, high efficient shot.”
Irving explained how he was already familiar with Christie before he was traded from the Los Angeles Lakers to the Mavericks, calling him one of his and skills trainer Phil Handy’s “protégés.”
“He's one of our protégés. When I say our, I mean me and Phil Handy,” Irving said of Christie. “He comes underneath that stock, too, just working extremely hard in the summertime. It's not just about skill work when me and Phil are working or when other guys are working. It's about vision and decision-making, mainly, that we're trying to teach. Seeing him from afar, hearing about him from afar from O.G. Phil, he told me that he's a good kid. He listens very well and pays attention to detail. He wants to be great at what he does. And when somebody wants to do that, then they'll beat you to the arena early, like Max Christie did today.”
Irving shared a story about how Christie beat him to the arena, which is rare, considering Irving works out many hours before the game as part of his routine.
“Max beat me today, though. I was pissed. I was pissed,” Irving said. “I was happy to see him. But at the same time, I gave him a side eye like you did this on purpose to motivate me to motor because I thought I left my house pretty early today. And then he's over here just sitting in his chair, already reading. … That's just a testament of just being a true professional and having fun at your craft beating some of the veterans to the arena man. … We just started laughing, that's all because he knew what it was because when I beat him here when he first got traded here, he thought he was gonna be first, and I was like, ‘uh, uh, no, sir.’”
The Mavericks leaned on Moses Brown to play 12 minutes in his first game since signing a 10-day contract, finishing with 2 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists. However, Dallas has continued to start and rely on 6-foot-7 Kessler Edwards to play center minutes while on a two-way contract. Edwards totaled 2 points and 4 rebounds in 12 minutes but is nearing a limit on days with the NBA club under that deal.
"He's given himself an opportunity," Kidd said of Edwards. "And we’re going to have to look ahead because he’s going to run out of games for us. But he’s playing at a high level, and he’s going to continue to start until we can get healthy."
The victory was crucial for the Mavericks, who improved to 31-26, as they navigate the remainder of the season with playoff aspirations. Irving summed up the night and the team's focus moving forward.
"We're trying to get a playoff position that matters,” Irving said. “So, not trying to add too much pressure, want to have fun, but we know where we are in the season."
As the Mavericks prepare for their two-game on the West Coast against the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers, the resilience and adaptability demonstrated will be vital in their pursuit of a strong finish to the season.
“A lot of times, you can tiptoe into it,” Kidd said. “We got 26 games left. It’s a sprint now. The other thing is understanding everything means something. You got to come out swinging right off the bat. Hopefully we can be the team swinging first and not waiting for the opponent to swing.”
The Mavericks face the Warriors on Sunday at 2:30 p.m. CST at Chase Center.
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