Dazzling Debuts! Daniel Gafford, P.J. Washington Breathe Life Into Mavs' Title Hopes
The Dallas Mavericks made a couple of splashes at the NBA trade deadline by adding Daniel Gafford and P.J. Washington. Both players lived up to the hype in their Mavs debuts at American Airlines Center on Saturday, as Gafford put up 19 points and nine rebounds in just 17 minutes of action, and Washington pitched in with 14 points and five rebounds while being a +24 in 24 minutes.
Luka Doncic finished with 32 points, eight rebounds and nine assists, and Kyrie Irving had 25 points, six rebounds and eight assists ... and yet both of those performances got overshadowed by the impact the two new guys had in Dallas' 146-111 thumping of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Things got off to an electrifying start, and both Gafford and Washington's first baskets came off of Doncic alley-oops, and the team never looked back.
"It felt amazing," Gafford said of his debut. "I am pretty sure P.J. [Washington Jr.] felt great also because [with] being back home, and me being so close to him. It felt like I got drafted by this team, in all honesty. It felt good stepping on the court and hearing the crowd and the cheers really fueled the energy I had throughout the game."
Heading into Thursday's trade deadline, the Mavs desperately needed more size in order to fully maximize the abilities of Doncic and Irving in the backcourt, and GM Nico Harrison went out and made things happen. For Washington, he was amazed by how seamless the transition was in his first game with the Mavs.
"Everybody was telling that I was going to get a lot of open shots, but I didn't realize it until I was out there," Washington said. "Playing with Luka and Kyrie and all those guys, they made the game a lot easier for me. They did that for [Daniel] Gafford too. Just being out here was great and I am just glad we got the win."
Check out our Mavs Step Back Podcast instant-recap episode below, as we talk about the potential this Mavs' roster has going forward. Thanks for listening, and be sure to SUBSCRIBE and leave us your takes in the comments!
