Kyrie Irving had just scored 35 points in the Mavericks’ 111-103 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday and what he talked most passionately about afterward had nothing to do with what he did.
It was what P.J. Washington did.
The veteran forward had poured in 24 points, 20 in the first quarter when the Mavericks really needed it with a sluggish start in their first game after the All-Star break.
“He’s a budding star for our team and he’s showcasing that,” Irving said of Washington. “His numbers have showcased that. So I think it’s about time we started furthering that conversation about P.J. Washington consistently doing these things and being a great asset for our team as one of our leaders.
“And making money plays.”
It was the sort of night at American Airlines Center that underscored the value Washington has brought to the Mavericks and especially what it means now that they are critically shorthanded at the big positions.
Washington had missed the final three games before the All-Star break with a sprained right ankle. His return went so smoothly, it lets the Mavericks know that seamless transitions are possible. That’s good to know with so many players in the queue to come back in the weeks to come.
“Unbelievable,” said Naji Marshall, who had 15 points and 10 rebounds off the bench against his former team. “He (Washington) is a big body, can get to the rim, can shoot. Defensively, he’s amazing. Just a spark to our team that we needed. I love to have him back. He’s just an all-around threat. He makes us so much better.”
Washington finished with seven rebounds, two steals and a blocked shot to go with his points. The 20 first-half points were his second-most in a half as a Maverick. He had 21 in a half on Dec. 30 at Sacramento.
Asked if he changes his strategy offensively when so many of the Mavericks’ quality scorers are sidelined, Washington said: “We’re shorthanded so I feel like I have to be aggressive for us to be successful. I’m just trying to make the right plays. Just be smart.”
Then, Washington was hit with the news that Irving had called him a “budding star.”
“It means a lot, obviously, coming from a guy like Kai who has been a superstar in the league for a while,” Washington said. “Obviously, being like a big brother to me, it’s great for me to be here and play with him.”
After halftime, Washington handed the baton to Irving, who heated up with 21 second-half points as the Mavericks found a way to pull away from the pesky Pelicans.
It was the Mavericks’ fifth win in their last six games, going back before the All-Star break and pushed them to 31-26 for the season. The Pelicans are 13-43.
It was not an easy night, primarily because the Mavericks still were without all of their experienced big men: Dereck Lively II (ankle), Daniel Gafford (knee), Anthony Davis (left adductor) and Dwight Powell (hip) all remained sidelined, as did guard Caleb Martin.
That made it difficult to contain Zion Williamson, who had 25 points by the middle of the third quarter, but only finished with 29 as the Mavericks ran double-teams at him in the fourth quarter.
Washington found himself guarding the beefy Williamson at times. With so many big men out, Washington plays a lot of center, along with Kessler Edwards and O-Max Prosper. “Dogs,” as Marshall called them.
“When he’s not in the lineup we miss him out there,” Irving said. “He’s getting accustomed to playing that five role, four role for us. Being a playmaker and stretch out the opposing centers to the three-point line, making their help a little more difficult at the rim.”
The game was never in a safe place for the Mavericks. They never could shake free from the Pelicans, who have the worst record in the Western Conference.
With Irving going to work, the Mavericks went up 97-91, but the Pelicans still wouldn’t go away. When Washington found Irving for a bucket in the paint, then hit one of two free throws on the next possession, the Mavericks’ lead was 103-94 with 4:17 to go.
The Pelicans never got closer than four thereafter. The dagger came with an Irving three-pointer with 56.9 seconds left that made it 109-99.
Before the game, Kidd had some concern about the way his team would come out in the first game after eight days off for the All-Star break.
“A lot of times, you can tiptoe into it,” he said. “We got 26 games left. It’s a sprint now. The other thing is understanding everything means something. You got to come out swinging right off the bat. Hopefully we can be the team swinging first and not waiting for the opponent to swing.”
Though neither team landed many punches in the first half, Washington’s fast start set the tone for a workmanlike night for the Mavericks.
Clock is ticking: Before the game, Kidd said that Kessler Edwards would continue starting at center until the Mavericks get healthier at the position.
The only problem is that, after Friday, Edwards can only play 13 more games for the Mavericks this season, unless his contract is adjusted. Players on two-way deals can only be active for 50 NBA games in an 82-game season. With 10 DNPs, Edwards is up to 37 active games after Friday.
“He’s given himself an opportunity,” Kidd said. “And we’re going to have to look ahead because he’s going to run out of games for us. But he’s playing at a high level and he’s going to continue to start until we can get healthy.”
To say the least, Edwards already has outplayed his two-way contract, having started seven of the 27 games he’s seen action in. In the seven games that he’s started, Edwards has averaged 5.4 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists.
Briefly: For those who need to be reminded that there is more to the game than scoring, Spencer Dinwiddie shot 0-for-7 from the field and didn’t score. Yet the Mavericks were plus-17 when he was on the floor. Dinwiddie had seven assists in his 25 minutes . . . The Mavericks held the Pelicans to 103 points. That’s the 14th time this season they have kept an opponent under 105 points. They are 13-1 in those games . . . The Mavericks hit 6-of-12 three-pointers in the first quarter against the Pelicans. They then went just 3-of-11 in the second quarter. For the game they finished 16-of-44 (36.4 percent). The Pelicans were 8-of-27 (29.6 percent) . . . The Mavericks hit the road for two games on the West Coast, at Golden State on Sunday afternoon and against the Los Angeles Lakers and LeBron James on Tuesday night.
X: @ESefko
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