The Mavericks have reached a new level of consistency after claiming victories in four of their last five games.
Dallas has struggled with inconsistency in player availability because of injuries, but the team received a big boost in Saturday’s win over the Houston Rockets when P.J. Washington returned from a four-game absence while nursing a right ankle sprain.
Washington’s return to the lineup was significant on both ends of the floor as he finished with 14 points, seven rebounds and a career-high five steals, which allowed the Mavericks to play with pace and thrive in transition.
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It was a refreshing sight for Mavericks fans because Washington rolled his ankle exactly one week ago in Los Angeles after landing on a basketball during pregame warmups. The injury forced him to miss his team’s three wins over the Clippers, Denver Nuggets and Miami Heat, as well as Friday’s loss in Oklahoma City. He reflected on the injury after the game.
“I’m just thinking, ‘Bro. No way. I worked this hard in the summer to strengthen my ankles and then something like this happens.’” Washington said. “It’s a freak accident. It happens sometimes, but I’m just happy to be back. I’m super glad I did do the work in the summer so I wasn’t out too long.”
There’s a vast difference between the Mavericks team that Washington left, compared to the group he returned to. Anthony Davis is a consistent presence in the lineup now. He played in his first back-to-back since returning from a left calf strain that cost him nearly a month. After an uncharacteristic two-point performance Friday against the Thunder, Davis returned to his All-Star form and led the Mavericks on Saturday with 29 points, eight rebounds and two steals.
Two-way guard Ryan Nembhard has provided stability as the Mavericks’ starting point guard, while Cooper Flagg is gaining more confidence as a scorer, evident by his career-high 35 points against the Clippers, which was needed because of Washington’s absence.
That night, Washington began a trend of posting the name of a teammate who had an impressive performance on X. Flagg was his choice that night and he did the same for Nembhard following his breakout game in Denver. After Saturday’s game, Washington shouted out Brandon Williams, who scored 20 points off the bench.
With the team hitting a new stride, Washington isn’t paying attention to external chatter about the Mavericks. Instead, he wants to continue to help his team stack as many wins as possible.
“That’s not really our goal, to silence anybody,” Washington said. “Obviously, we didn’t have the start we wanted, but it’s a long season and a lot of games so we feel like we can find our pace and try to take it one day at a time.”
Washington’s most memorable pilfer occurred late in the third quarter when he poked the ball away from Reed Sheppard and took the ball the length of the floor. Kevin Durant thought about contesting, but made a business decision and avoided Washington’s second consecutive transition dunk. The Mavericks forward roared as the lead swelled to double digits.
“It was really fun, but I was just a little tired because I’ve been out. I was trying to catch my breath,” Washington said of the sequence. “It was great. I just love to be able to be on the winning side of things. It just feels great seeing everybody smile, seeing the fans get into it and obviously things are starting to turn.”
The Mavericks will have five full days until Friday’s game against the Brooklyn Nets, a stretch that provides the team to rest. Washington knows exactly how he plans to take advantage of the break.
“Sleep. A lot of it.” Washington said. “And get healthy. I can’t wait to.”
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