Kyrie Irving reacts to PJ Washington’s success against the Thunder

The Dallas Mavericks on friday night they ended a three game skid with a 106-98 win over the Oklahoma City Thunderled by an outstanding performance from Kyrie Irving. Only in his in his second game back from a lumbar sprain, Irving scored 25 pointsfive rebounds, five assists and a steal, showing his leadership on the court.

Mavericks forward PJ Washington he also had a strong performance, recording 16 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Washington’s presence proved key to the win as his history of success against the Thunder continued. After the game, Irving praised Washington’s influence in a conversation with Mavericks reporter Joey Mistretta.

“Last time we played against (the Thunder), PJ was sick. It was the tournament game of the season. We were like, ‘one guy who’s averaging 27 and 14 against them, he’s not here,’” Irving he said. “We threw some healthy offense at him. … He plays well against them.”

Irving highlighted Washington’s leadership on the court, adding, “When he’s out there talking to us … He just always reminds us to drive to the basket, to keep attacking … Just to keep fighting.”

The Mavericks take the lead in the season series against the Thunder behind the outstanding performance of PJ Washington

The Thunder, who have been dominant this season with a league-best 34-7 record, are on an incredible 70-game winning streak. However, the Mavericks accounted for two of those losses, improving their season record against Oklahoma City to 2-1. Notably, when Washington plays, Dallas is undefeated at 2-0 against the Thunder this season.

Washington has a proven experience for excellent against Oklahoma City. During his career, he averaged 17.3 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game against the Thunder, shooting 48.7% from the field and 40.7% from three-point range. His performances contributed to an 8-4 regular season record against them and a 12-6 overall record, including last season’s NBA playoff semifinals, where the Mavericks eliminated the Thunder en route to the finals.

With Friday’s win, the Mavericks improved to 23-19 on the season and will look to build on the momentum as they prepare for Monday night’s road game against the Charlotte Hornets (10-28). Both Irving and Washington’s recent performances suggest Dallas could hit its stride at a critical time in the season.