P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford shined in their Mavericks debuts, at times electrifying the American Airlines Center crowd.
P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford shined in their Mavericks debuts, at times electrifying the American Airlines Center crowd. Dallas Mavericks center Daniel Gafford walks off the court after defeating the Oklahoma City Thunder in a NBA basketball game at American Airlines Center on Saturday, Feb.
10, 2024, in Dallas.roared out of their locker room and onto the court like a freshly repainted, souped-up sports car and almost immediately jumped to a 15-point lead.As the pair did so, midway through the first quarter, the American Airlines Center sellout crowd welcomed them with a standing ovation, supercharging this already electric Saturday matinee in which Gafford and Washington helped lead Dallas’ 146-111 rout of Oklahoma City.“It really just fueled the energy that I had throughout the game,” Gafford said of feeling the crowd’s embrace, after scoring 19 points and snaring 9 rebounds in just 17 minutes.Dallas Mavericks forward P.J. Washington celebrates Dallas Mavericks center Daniel Gafford successful shot over the Oklahoma City Thunder during the second half of an NBA basketball game at American Airlines Center on Saturday, Feb. 10, 2024, in Dallas.of 6-7 Washington from Charlotte and 6-10 Gafford from the Wizards. The Mavericks’ 47 first-quarter points were their most in an opening quarter in franchise history. Now the Mavericks have their first four-game winning streak since they opened the season 4-0, and coach Jason Kidd has a deeper, multidimensional roster that offers more versatility in lineup combinations, pace and style of play.Might Dallas actually be able to win with defense and without being over-reliant on 3-pointers, both of which happened Saturday as the Mavericks attempted fewer treys than the Thunder and limited OKC to 38.8% shooting? “There’s going to be nights when we shoot 45 to 47 threes, and there’s going to be nights where we can dominate the paint as we did today,” said Kidd, whose team outrebounded OKC 54-40. Washington, with his 7-2 wingspan, can play guard, forward and center and defend multiple positions. When rookie Dereck Lively II returns from being out with a broken nose, Kidd envisions Gafford being able to move to power forward and occasionally playing those two big men together.As Gafford and Washington experienced Saturday, playing with Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving creates offensive opportunities they couldn’t fathom with their former teams. Thirty-two seconds after checking into the game, Gafford “locked eyes” with Doncic, who tossed an alley-oop to Gafford, who slammed the first of his seven dunks or layups on the afternoon. Three of Doncic’s nine assists were to Gafford, which was fitting since after Thursday’s trades Doncic described Gafford as the backup center “which I’ve wanted for like three years.” “It means a lot because it gives me the opportunity to show what I’m good at,” Gafford said. “Running the floor. Running the floor. Catching lobs. Rebounding. Screaming. At the end of the day I’m just doing my job and pretty much he was helping me to my job tonight.” For Washington, scoring 14 points, grabbing five rebounds getting multiple ovations in his Mavericks debut represented an emotional full-circle moment. Washington lived in the Dallas area for much of his youth, from the first through 10th grades , before finishing his high school career in Nevada.“One of my team sponsors had season tickets right next to the ManiAACs,” Washington said. “So we used to come out to home games. I love this. I’m just excited to be here and excited to live out this opportunity.” On trade deadline day, Washington was having lunch at a restaurant with his wife when she asked, “What would you do if you got traded to the Mavs right now?” Said Washington: “And it was literally not three minutes later I got traded to them. I literally jumped out of the restaurant and ran to the car and was just excited. So for me it’s nothing but excitement.” It showed Saturday. It showed in Washington’s play. It showed in Gafford’s play. It showed in how fans received them. And it showed in an easy victory over a very good Oklahoma City team, a sign the last 29 games might produce more than a few performances like this one., Sports enterprise reporter, Mavericks and NBA. Dallas Morning News sports reporter since 1993. Prior to that he worked at The Houston Chronicle and San Antonio Light. Eight-time APSE award winner; 2016 National Headliner Award; 2018 Celeste Williams Texas Sportswriter of the Year; 2021 NSMA Texas Sportswriter of the Year.
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