Dallas Mavericks tie OKC Thunder behind hot shots in Game 2: 3 game-changing plays

The Dallas Mavericks earned a big win in Game 2 over the Oklahoma City Thunder, winning 119-110, tying the series at 1 apiece. In a game where Luka Doncic, Derrick Jones Jr. and Daniel Gafford were playing injured, they got enough help from the people around them to elevate them over the Thunder.

Dallas built a 13-2 lead to start the game with Doncic scoring 8 of them. OKC didn’t hold the pressure for long and got back to a one-possession game just a few minutes later. This is where we begin the works.

READ MORE: Luka Doncic’s Dallas Mavericks respond with hard-fought Game 2 win over OKC Thunder to tie series 1-1

PJ Washington came to play in Game 2. He only attempted 7 shots in Game 1 and Dallas needed their role players to step up if they wanted to come out with a road win in the playoffs.

This three-pointer was the first of a career-high SEVEN three-pointers for Washington in this game, as he set a playoff career-high with 29 points. He was playing with more confidence and less hesitation. Initially, OKC was willing to let him shoot those threes, as someone other than Doncic or Kyrie Irving was shooting the ball and made them pay.

As Washington said in a postgame interview with ESPN, Doncic and Irving have so much attention on them that it creates open shots for everyone else. And good players make those open shots. Games like this are why Dallas made the trade for Washington at the trade deadline.

Oklahoma City responded early in the second half, taking a 75-72 lead, their first lead of the game, just over 3 minutes into the half. Dallas quickly regained the lead, holding an 80-79 lead with about 5 minutes left in the period.

Enter Tim Hardaway Jr. The sound you heard on his first shot attempt was the collective groan among the Dallas Mavericks fan base. Hardaway scored 8 points in total in these NBA playoffs and shot 34.1% in the last 10 games of the season. To say he had a tough time coming into this game would be an understatement.

That overhead shot capped a PERSONAL 10-0 run for Hardaway Jr as he pushed the lead to double digits for the Mavs. Dallas needs a good version of Tim Hardaway Jr. and this was the best possible. Irving was struggling to score, Doncic was on the bench here and they needed someone to make shots.

But that won’t be the last time we see Hardaway Jr.

OKC was still threatening to delay the game. We didn’t know at the time that the Thunder wouldn’t make a field goal in the last two minutes of the game.

Tim Hardaway Jr. makes a great play to get away with the loose ball, fakes the pass to Doncic for Lu Dort to break away, and knocks down the wide open shot from the corner to push the lead to 11 with plus two. Minutes remaining to give you 17 points.

This shot was essentially the dagger, even if the score could say that shot occurred before. It’s the one where you could feel the building’s momentum being taken away, even on television.

If this version of Tim Hardaway Jr. can be around for the Mavs for the rest of the Playoffs, they will be tough to beat. They were desperate for someone to come off the bench and offer them instant offense. He shot 39% from 3-point range in his first 20 games this season and that’s the version Dallas hopes to see going forward.

Kyrie Irving will be better, it’s hard to imagine him having another 9-point outing (even if he had 11 assists), but it’s also hard to imagine PJ Washington continuing to shoot like he did in this game. As scoring and shooting return to the norm, the superstars are often the ones who shine the brightest.

I had a feeling Luka Doncic would be better in Game 2 after a poor first game and a few days of poor media coverage around him. He has been dealing with a sprained knee and was limping throughout the game, but has refused to let that excuse his poor performances. So he shot 5/8 from three in this game after shooting 22.7% from deep to start the 2024 playoffs.

According to SportsCenter after the game, Doncic and Washington are the first duo in NBA Playoff history to finish with 25 points, 10 rebounds and 5 or more three-pointers in the same game.

Some other important players for this game: Josh Green with his 11 points (3/5 from 3) and Daniel Gafford adding 13 points and 7 rebounds. Gafford and Dereck Lively need to be better at finishing around the basket, but Gafford at least has the physicality to outplay Chet Holmgren more often than not.

It’s a quick change; the closest thing to a back-to-back you’ll see in the playoffs. The third game will be at 2:30 p.m. CST on Saturday after this game didn’t end until around 11 p.m.

READ MORE: Dallas Mavericks Forward Denounces Anonymous Report About Superstar Luka Doncic

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