Dallas Mavericks DVOA, Stats, & NBA Rankings

Dallas Mavericks forward P.J. Washington delivered the second-most points on the team behind the 30-point performance from Luka Doncic. The bad thing is that resulted in a blowout loss in Game 1 by the tune of 107-89. Washington posted 14 points on 5-for-11 shooting and chipped in eight rebounds and one assist. He was unable to hit any threes in this contest and the team followed suit as they went 7-for-27 from deep. The former Hornet has been a key piece to the Mavericks' playoff run so far, and he's likely to deliver at least a couple of big offensive performances. His defensive abilities will be tested against the potent Celtics offense.

Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving struggled in Game 1 of the NBA Finals against Boston on Thursday. He scored only 12 points, shooting a rough 6-for-19 from the field while failing to make any of his five attempts from deep. Although he added three boards, two assists, and two steals, it wasn't his best showing. At any rate, head coach Jason Kidd will likely make some adjustments for Game 2 on Sunday night, meaning Irving has a chance to get back on track in an attempt to knot the series ahead of Game 3 in Dallas.

Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving continued his quality play in Game 5, which vaulted the team into the NBA Finals after completely destroying the Minnesota Timberwolves by a score of 124-103. The veteran scorer finished the game with 36 points on 14-for-27 shooting overall and 4-for-10 from beyond the arc. He also chipped in five assists, four rebounds, and knocked down all four of his free throws. Irving has been heavily criticized for not being able to get deeper into the playoffs with anyone not named LeBron James, but he has found himself as the Robin to Luka Doncic's Batman, which has taken them to another Finals appearance. When it comes to scoring, Irving is only matched by very few.

According to Anthony Slater of The Athletic, there hasn't been any progress in contract talks between the Warriors and guard Klay Thompson. Golden State reportedly offered him an extension before the beginning of the 2023-24 campaign. However, Thompson declined, so there's a good chance he'll be an unrestricted free agent come July. The 34-year-old averaged 17.9 points and 3.3 assists while shooting 38.7% from deep, all down from the 2022-23 season. But teams are reportedly interested in his services, with the Magic, Thunder, and Sixers emerging as potential suitors. Nonetheless, it will be different seeing Thompson in a new uniform, although he could have a bounce-back year while playing for a championship-caliber club.

Dallas Mavericks center Daniel Gafford scored 12 points with perfect 6-for-6 shooting and swatted away three shots in a 105-100 loss to the Timberwolves on Tuesday. Playing a playoff-high 31 minutes, Gafford contributed in multiple areas, grabbing eight rebounds and tallying one assist with one steal. The 25-year-old big man saw extra action due to Dereck Lively II (neck) being out. He's been a major force on the defensive end in the series and always does his work on offense efficiently as well. With four games played in the matchup, Gafford has averaged 10.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 3.0 blocks with 72.4 percent shooting.