BBNBA: PJ Washington, Mavericks Tie Series 1-1 Against Clippers

The Dallas Mavericks were on a mission Tuesday night in Los Angeles.

After getting beat 109-97 by the LA Clippers in Game 1 on Sunday, Dallas stepped it up in Game 2. Led by star duo Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, the 5-seeded Mavs tied the series up 1-1 on Tuesday night with a 96-93 victory in LA.

Although he was not the leading scorer, former Kentucky Wildcat PJ Washington played some vital minutes for the Mavericks in a massive road win. The Western Conference first-round series will now head to Dallas for Games 3 and 4.

Washington Shines from Deep

Scoring zero points in the first quarter might have seemed worrisome for Dallas, but PJ Washington made some crucial defensive stops to help his team in other ways. The former Wildcat star had two big blocks in the first quarter which allowed his team to take a 23-19 lead into the second.

The first half was not Washington’s fan from the field as he went into the locker room with only three points. However, Dallas did maintain a small 45-41 lead going into the break. Washington managed to tally five more points by the end of the third but his team trailed 66-65 heading into the final quarter.

Dallas went on a 14-0 run in the fourth to reclaim the lead. Washington played a large role in the scoring run after hitting a crucial three-pointer to tie the game at 73-73 with 7:43 remaining. With 5:18 left to play the Mavs led 81-73. The shots started to fall for Washington as he nailed another one from deep to maintain an 84-76 lead going into the four-minute mark.

With 44.1 seconds to go the Clippers cut it to a 90-86 game but a foul sent Washington to the line. He knocked down two from the charity stripe with 34 seconds left to take the 92-86 lead. In the end, Dallas was able to outlast a final comeback try from LA and take Game 2, 96-93.

Washington finished with 18 points, six rebounds, two blocks, and one steal in 35 minutes played.

Timberwolves Take 2-0 Series Lead Over Suns

On Tuesday night in Minnesota, the Timberwolves outlasted the Phoenix Suns to take a 2-0 lead in the series.

Former Kentucky teammates Karl-Anthony Towns (MIN) and Devin Booker (PHX) faced off on Tuesday. Although KAT got into foul trouble early in the game and finished with 12 points, his absence did not have a huge effect on his Timberwolves team. On the other hand, Booker played over 40 minutes for Phoenix and led the way in scoring with 20 points but fouled out in the end as his team lost Game 2 by a score of 105-93.

The Suns got off to a slow start in the first quarter as they trailed 8-0 with 8:45 left. Luckily they found their rhythm toward the end thanks to Booker’s eight points which allowed them to only find themselves down 24-21. Towns made up just two of his team’s 24 points going into the second.

With the big man out in the second quarter due to foul trouble, Phoenix was able to make a run of their own to go into the half with a 51-50 lead. At the start of the third, KAT was back in and scored eight points right off the bat to give his team the 60-57 lead. Minnesota was able to run away with it in the third after outscoring the Suns 28-20 in the quarter.

In the end, the Timberwolves were too much to handle for Phoenix. They outscored the Suns once again in the fourth 27-22 which gave them room to run away with the 105-93 win. Booker and the Suns now trail KAT and the Timberwolves 2-0 as they will travel back to Arizona looking to find a win of their own in Games 3 and 4.

Other BBNBA Notes:

• Although former Kentucky small forward Isaiah Jackson did not play on Tuesday night, the Pacers beat Milwaukee 125-108. The win ties the series at 1-1 heading back to Indiana.

4/23 BBNBA Statistics:

Player	Score	PTS	FG (3PT)	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	+/-	MIN
Devin Booker (PHX)	105-93 L @ MIN	20	6-13(1-6)	3	5	2	0	6	-24	42
PJ Washington Jr (DAL)	96-93 W @ LAC	18	5-10 (3-4)	6	0	1	2	2	6	35
Karl Anthony Towns (MIN)	105-93 W vs. PHX	12	3-7 (1-4)	8	1	1	0	4	16	24
Chris Livingston (MIL)	125-108 L vs. IND	0	0-0 (0-0)	0	0	0	0	0	2	4
Isaiah Jackson (IND)	125-108 W @ MIL	DNP-CD	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
BJ Boston Jr (LAC)	96-93 L vs. DAL	DNP-CD	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—

Tonight in the NBA Playoffs

Round 1 | Game 2 | BOS leads 1-0
7:00 (TNT/truTV): [8] Heat (Adebayo, Herro) @ [1] Celtics

Round 1 | Game 2 | OKC leads 1-0
9:30 (TNT/truTV): [8] Pelicans @ [1] Thunder (Gilgeous-Alexander, Wallace)