4 Studs, 1 dud from Mavericks' series-clinching win over Thunder

4. Stud - P.J. Washington

At the start of the 2024 NBA Playoffs, Dallas Mavericks forward P.J. Washington quickly became a fan favorite. Washington stood up for Luka Doncic when he got into a scuffle with Russell Westbrook of the LA Clippers, and he also stared down the Clippers bench after he got into an altercation with Terrance Mann.

Washington's stare-down at the Clippers bench went viral, and the entire NBA world was buzzing about it. Him going viral didn't stop at the stare-down, as he played great on both ends in that series, but he really started playing well against the Thunder.

Washington had a huge Game 3 against Oklahoma City as he scored 27 points while knocking down five threes, but his performance in Game 6 was off from the start.

Just like he did in Game 1, Washington got in foul trouble early. He picked up two fouls less than three minutes into the game, and this forced Jason Kidd to play Josh Green over him for most of the first half. Green didn't play poorly, but the Mavs being without one of their top defenders definitely hurt them.

Washington then came back with a big second half and finished with nine points in Game 6 while shooting 2-6 from the field and 2-5 from downtown, and hit two huge free throws while intentionally missing one to avoid giving the Thunder the chance to set up.

Washington's ability to step up in the clutch was huge, and he came through when his team needed him most.