BBNBA: PJ Washington ejected after mean-mugging too hard in Dallas win
If you were a Kentucky Wildcat fan during the two years PJ Washington was on campus, you undoubtedly screamed, “Hit ’em with that mean mug, PJ!” more than once during a game. On Friday, PJ hit ’em with that mean mug so hard, he got ejected.
The Dallas Mavericks steamrolled the LA Clippers in Game 3 of the Western Conference first round. The final score was 101-90, but it wasn’t that close. The Mavs got up big early and maintained a 20-point advantage most of the game until the end-of-the-bench players (including BJ Boston) came in late and made the score look more respectable than it was.
The altercation that put the exclamation on the game centered around PJ Washington. Terrance Mann of the Clippers had some words for Washington for repeatedly staring down LA’s bench all game. He responded by aggressively staring at the bench and holding the pose with his arms crossed.
Pushing and shoving ensued. PJ Washington pushed Russell Westbrook after a hard foul on Luka Doncic which ultimately led to his ejection. He left with a stat line of 10 points, five rebounds, and a game-high three steals.
In the postgame, when asked why he held the pose, Washington said, “I wanted to get my flicks right for after the game.” If Mav fans were on the fence about Washington before, they are all in on him now.
Karl-Anthony Towns, Timberwolves put Devin Booker, Suns on brink of elimination
The Phoenix Suns just don’t have it. Their top-heavy roster comprised of individual scorers simply hasn’t translated to the caliber of the team everyone expected them to be coming into this year. Moreover, they appear to be borderline joyless on the court in both highs and lows. While a stoic approach to life should be admired in many circumstances, it doesn’t exactly rev up a crowd full of 16,000 basketball fanatics.
The Timberwolves, on the other hand, have put together a fun team capable of a deep run. They are showing that their incredible regular season was no fluke. Led by Karl-Anthony Towns and superstar Anthony Edwards, the Wolves are a complete team and have stepped up in the playoffs.
On Friday, they took care of Phoenix in Game 3, winning 126-109 in the Valley of the Sun. Minnesota now holds a commanding 3-0 lead and looks to complete the sweep on Sunday. Devin Booker finished with a respectable 23 points and eight assists, but with limited bench production, the Suns could not over the hump to beat Minnesota.
Karl-Anthony Towns had a double-double in his team’s win, coming in with 18 points and 13 boards in just 24 minutes.
The best game of the night did not feature any former Wildcats
The Indiana Pacers and Milwaukee Bucks roster four combined former Kentucky players, but none of them saw the court on Friday. Oscar Tshiebwe, Chris Livingston, and TyTy Washington did not dress while Isaiah Jackson fell victim to a shortened playoff rotation.
Regardless of the lack of Wildcat nostalgia, this was the best game of the night. The Pacers led by as many as 17 in the second half, but Dame Lillard would not let the Bucks go silently into the night. They clawed their way back and sent the game to overtime.
There, with the game tied, Tyrese Haliburton hit an incredible floater with one second left on the clock, getting fouled in the process, to give the Pacers the 121-118 OT win. The 6-seed Pacers now lead the 3-seed Bucks 2-1 in the series.
BBNBA Stats for 4/26/2024
| Player | Score | PTS | FG (3PT) | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | +/- | MIN |
| Devin Booker (PHX) | 109-126 L vs. MIN | 23 | 8-15 (1-3) | 3 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 2 | -8 | 42 |
| Karl-Anthony Towns (MIN) | 126-109 W vs. PHX | 18 | 7-16 (3-5) | 13 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 24 |
| PJ Washington (DAL) | 101-90 W vs. LAC | 10 | 5-10 (0-4) | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | +23 | 34 |
| Brandon Boston Jr. (LAC) | 90-101 L vs. DAL | 3 | 1-2 (0-0) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +4 | 3 |
| TyTy Washington (MIL) | 118-121 L vs. IND | DNP-Did not dress | ||||||||
| Oscar Tshiebwe (IND) | 121-118 W vs. MIL | DNP-Did not dress | ||||||||
| Chris Livingston (MIL) | 118-121 L vs. IND | DNP-Did not dress | ||||||||
| Isaiah Jackson (IND) | 121-118 W vs. MIL | DNP-CD |
Today in the NBA Playoffs
Round 1 | Game 4 | CLE leads 2-1
1:00 (TNT): Cavaliers @ Magic
Round 1 | Game 3 | OKC leads 2-0
3:30 (TNT): Thunder (Gilgeous-Alexander, Wallace, Sarr) @ Pelicans
Round 1 | Game 3 | Series tied 1-1
6:00 (TNT): Celtics @ Heat (Adebayo, Herro)
Round 1 | Game 4 | DEN leads 3-0
8:30 (ABC): Lakers (Davis, Vanderbilt: out) @ Nuggets (Murray)
Discuss This Article
Comments have moved.
Join the conversation and talk about this article and all things Kentucky Sports in the new KSR Message Board.
KSBoard