P.J. Washington ends scary slump in epic fashion, proves he still runs OKC

The Dallas Mavericks desperately needed someone to "stand on business" after losing four of the last five games.

They certainly got that in their victory against the Oklahoma City Thunder in their first game since the hard-fought playoff series in the 2023-24 season.

While the Mavericks were coming off a much-needed win against the San Antonio Spurs, they found themselves down in the water in the win column due to many close losses.

One of those guys needing to send a message was power forward P.J. Washington, and that's exactly what he did in the 405.

P.J. Washington continues making Thunder fans miserable

Washington just finished his best performance of the year, and it just happened to be against his arch nemesis, the Thunder.

The game itself shouldn't have been as close as it was. In a 121-119 win in which Dallas won back-to-back games, Washington had to make a key contest against Lu Dort in a desperation heave at the end of the fourth quarter buzzer.

Washington contributed on both sides of the ball. He was on a heater to start, shooting 3-3 from downtown to start out the contest.

Washington would finish with 27 points and 17 rebounds. This was by far his best performance of the season, and undoubtedly one of his best performances as a Mav. It was something the Mavericks desperately needed from him.

Going from an alarming slump to finding his range against OKC came at the perfect time considering the Mavericks were missing their star, Luka Doncic, due to a right knee contusion. Washington's 3-point shooting has been shaky all season long, but Sunday night was different. He was letting it fly with no hesitation, and the Mavs surged ahead early on due to his strong start.

There was some concern after the Indiana loss about guys that couldn't make plays against and defend stretch bigs. While the Mavericks played against the Thunder without guys like Chet Holmgren or Isaiah Hartenstein, the Mavericks outrebounded OKC by 53-29. Washington had a big role in that by securing 17.

The question for P.J. Washington staying in the starting lineup temporarily was in question by some fans early in the season, but even Washington himself had once addressed the way to obliterate their slow starts.

He took playing at the Paycom Center to heart.

"I love playing here. I love this gym, I love obviously beating them too. It was a great win for us and I was just ready to play tonight," Washington said.

Washington answered the concern against the Thunder when it seemed like he was off at one point earlier in the year. The rebounding was an advantage for Dallas due to size, but there's no doubt that Washington's shooting had a massive impact against OKC.

His free throw shooting was perfect. Washington was 10-10 and picked up right where he left off in the playoff series against Oklahoma City.

Washington and the bigs need to eat on the glass, especially when Washington is off shooting the rock. If you get Washington shooting and rebounding like he did against OKC in this matchup, there's almost no stopping the man who "stands on business" against his opponents.

He is known for bringing his best performances against the Thunder, and OKC fans walked out of that arena wondering how Washington has turned into a storm wrecker.