© Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
WATCH: Dallas Mavs' P.J. Washington Hits Game-Winner vs. Golden State Warriors
P.J. Washington put the Dallas Mavericks up 108-106 on the Golden State Warriors with just 4.5 seconds remaining on Firday night, and a strong final defensive stand helped seal the big win in Big D.
Back on Feb. 27, Luka Doncic zipped a pass to P.J. Washington, who made a layup to give the Dallas Mavericks a 119-118 over the Cleveland Cavaliers on the road with just 2.1 seconds remaining.
Everyone believed Washington had hit the game-winner for Dallas, but then the unthinkable happened, as Cavs' Max Strus nailed a 59-foot prayer at the buzzer to snatch a 121-119 win. It was a moment that temporarily dampened the Mavs vibes, but they have responded by going 14-5 since, with the latest win coming on Friday night against the Golden State Warriors.
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With Doncic out due to knee soreness, Washington took over as the Mavs' leading scorer, finishing with 32 points on 12-18 from the field, including a game-winning layup that was extremely similar to the one we though we'd see in Cleveland.
With Kyrie Irving being doubled, he swung the ball to Tim Hardaway Jr., who drove into the paint and found Washington for the go-ahead bucket with just 4.5 seconds left. This time, Dallas made sure to finish things off for Washington, as it played great team defense on Stephen Curry during the Warriors' final offensive possession, and the game ended after a missed Klay Thompson 3-pointer that was heavily contested by Derrick Jones Jr.
Not only did Washington score a new Mavs career-high with 32 points, but he also pitched in five rebounds, three assists, five steals and two blocks. He joined Mavs great Mark Aguirre as the only two players in franchise history to have at least 30 points, five steals and two blocks in the same game (h/t Mavs PR).
Ever since coming over from the Charlotte Hornets at the trade deadline, Washington has proven to be an x-factor on the defensive end whether his shot is falling or not. Now that he has broken out of his shooting slump – averaging 17.3 points and shooting 48.9 percent from deep over his last six games – the sky is the limit for Dallas with the playoffs right around the corner.
