3 Studs, 2 duds from Mavericks' pivotal Game 3 win over Thunder

The Dallas Mavericks' streak of losing Game 1s continued into the Oklahoma City series, and some Mavericks fans were frightened by the result of the opening game.

Luka Doncic wasn't himself, the Thunder couldn't miss from downtown, and the Mavs offense had no rhythm. This was less than an ideal start to the series, but the Mavs have answered with two wins.

Dallas responded in Game 2 with a 119-110 win and then with a 105-101 win in Game 3.

3 Studs, 2 duds from Mavericks' pivotal Game 3 win over Thunder

This series became so much more physical in Game 3, and the American Airlines Center was rocking all game long. This game was filled with questionable calls going both ways, back-and-forth action, and plenty of drama until the final buzzer.

Fans were on the edge of their seats all game long, and the Mavs pulled through in the fourth quarter to help earn the big Game 3 win.

Here are three studs and two duds from a wild Mavericks win in Game 3.

5. Stud - Luka Doncic

In this series against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Dallas Mavericks fans haven't gotten to see a vintage Luka Doncic game yet. He continues to battle his concerning knee injury, and although he's hobbled, he is making his impact felt.

Doncic finished with 22 points, 15 rebounds, five assists, and two steals while shooting 7-17 from the field and 1-4 from downtown. He isn't getting the same lift that he usually does on his jump shot, but he was battling down low all game with Lu Dort.

Mark Daigneault confidently assigned Dort to guard Doncic before the series started, and both players have had their moments in this series. Doncic backed down Dort several times and scored at the rim in the win, and he never backed away from this matchup.

After the game, Kyrie Irving talked about how he and the team told Doncic to continue to attack this matchup, and that's exactly what he did in this game.

Doncic's leadership and offensive assertiveness in this game helped the Mavs earn the win, and it'll be scary hours once he can put together an efficient all-around game and recover from his knee injury.

4. Dud - Derrick Jones Jr.

Dallas Mavericks wing Derrick Jones Jr. had a phenomenal offensive series against the LA Clippers in the first round of the playoffs, but the second round has been a completely different story for him. Through three games, Jones Jr. is averaging 6.3 points and 3.7 rebounds per game while shooting 25.9 percent from the field and 18.2 percent from downtown.

Although Jones Jr. continues to be excellent on defense and a great glue guy, his offense in this series has been rough. Outside of Game 1, Jones Jr. doesn't seem like he is getting the same open looks from downtown that he once was, and this was evident in Game 3 especially.

Jones Jr. needs time to get his feet set, line up his shot, and let it rip, but he didn't really have the chance to do that in Game 3. He seemed to be rushing his shot some, and he ended up shooting 0-3 from three.

Outside of his shooting, Jones Jr. has also struggled when attacking the rim and trying to score in the paint. He has been trying to score around the bucket, but Chet Holmgren's length has been extremely disruptive. Jones Jr. hasn't been able to get anything to go around the bucket, and he must finish some of these opportunities.

Jones Jr. has been trying to hang in the air and score at the rim while drawing a foul, and even that isn't working for him. The referees are letting the guys play much more, and hopefully, Jones Jr. can find a way to bounce back in Game 4.

3. Stud - P.J. Washington

The biggest surprise of the Dallas Mavericks series against the Oklahoma City Thunder so far has been the dominance of P.J. Washington.

Washington had a good series against the Clippers as he averaged 10.8 points per game and was phenomenal on defense, but his performance against the Thunder has been a completely different story.

Washington is averaging 22 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 1.0 steals per game while shooting 54.2 percent from the field and 53.8 percent from downtown. He has been the best shooter on the team in this series, and his hot shooting continued into Sunday afternoon.

Washington finished with 27 points while shooting 11-23 from the field and 5-12 from downtown, and the Mavs emphasized getting him involved early. He started the game off with a dunk over Chet Holmgren, and this got the ball rolling for him.

Kyrie Irving spoke about how getting Washington involved early gets his confidence going in the right direction, and that's exactly what happened in this game. Washington has consistently drilled threes all the way around the arc, and his two-way ability makes him the potential third star that the Mavs have needed alongside Luka Doncic and Irving.

The Thunder's game plan in both of the last two games hasn't been on limiting Washington threes, and he is making them pay. If Washington can have another big game in Game 4, the Mavs may just take a 3-1 lead.

2. Dud - Dante Exum

Although Exum only played six minutes in Game 3, he scored zero points on no shots with two rebounds. Exum has lost all confidence in his game, and what was formerly his strength during the regular season has turned into a weakness.

Exum shot 49.1 percent from downtown during the regular season, and all signs were pointing to him being an excellent playoff player. He was never afraid of the big moment, defended at a high level, and made those around him better. Exum also turned into the best shooter on the team off the catch, and his revolution as a shooter helped get him back to the NBA after playing overseas for several seasons.

His ability to play alongside Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving or lead the bench unit was excellent, and he was an all-around glue guy who impacted the game in a big way.

The playoffs have not gone as planned with him, and he seems to become more unplayable by the game. Exum is only averaging 7.0 minutes per game in this series after averaging 19.8 minutes per game in the regular season, and him shooting 20 percent from the field and 10 percent from downtown in the playoffs is inexcusable.

Exum hasn't even been able to make an impact during garbage time of wins, and you can tell that all of the confidence that he built during his excellent regular season is slowly creeping away.

1. Stud - Kyrie Irving

The story with Kyrie Irving in the second halves of games continues to be the same.

He always starts the game fairly slow, feels it out, and then flips the switch once the second half begins. That's exactly what happened in Game 3, and Irving's performance down the stretch ultimately helped the Mavs get the win.

Irving finished with 22 points, five rebounds, and seven assists in the win while shooting 10-17 from the field and 2-6 from downtown. 14 of these points came in the second half, and Irving locked in when they needed him most.

He scored eight points in the fourth quarter while shooting a perfect 4-4 from the field, and his assertiveness in the second half was noticeable. Irving was attacking mismatches, getting to his spots, and he ultimately willed the Mavs to a win.

Irving continues to be the closer that the Mavs need, but he also quietly shows his leadership in big moments.

The Oklahoma City Thunder decided to intentionally foul Dereck Lively II several times down the stretch, and at first, Lively II was running away from the Thunder players who were trying to foul him.

Lively II isn't a great free-throw shooter, and it didn't look like he wanted to be at the free-throw line. Irving advised Lively II to stop running and take his free throws with confidence, and that's exactly what he did.

Irving's leadership helped the young rookie thrive in this big moment, and this game could have ended completely differently if Lively II wasn't confident at the free-throw line.

The Mavs will have the chance to take a 3-1 series lead over the Thunder on Monday night.

For all the latest on Kyrie Irving and the Dallas Mavericks throughout the 2024 NBA Playoffs, stay tuned.