– by Adesina O. Koiki
A Lot of Sports Talk editor-in-chief
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DALLAS — It took about less than a second for both Daniel Gafford and P.J. Washington to feel that their new uniforms fit on their bodies when putting them on in the Dallas Mavericks locker room.
It took less than one whole game to see that both look like the perfect fit style-wise for the Mavericks, who look more equipped to make a run in the Western Conference akin to just a couple of seasons ago.
Gafford and Washington, acquired by Dallas in two separate NBA Trade Deadline trades earlier this week, combined for 33 points as the Mavericks dominated the Oklahoma City Thunder 146-111 inside American Airlines Center on Saturday afternoon.
The Mavericks, who scored a franchise-record 47 points in the game’s first 12 minutes, opened up a 10-point advantage before three minutes were played and possessed a lead as much as 41 points in earning their fourth consecutive victory.
Gafford, who came over from the Washington Wizards, scored 11 of his 19 points in the third quarter as he ended the game just a rebound shy of a double-double in just 17 minutes played. Washington, formerly of the Charlotte Hornets, scored 14 points and had five rebounds.
“They were great, they were great. Offensively, defensively, they didn’t seem nervous. They were really good,” Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd said. “That first quarter, I think [we] set a franchise record for 47 points in the first and I think let everyone know that everybody is comfortable and excited about having those two as a part of the team. I thought it was a great team win from start to finish.”
*Editor’s note: Above the byline is the photo gallery from Saturday afternoon’s contest, with photos taken by Dallas-area photographer Ross James. After clicking on the first photo to enlarge the picture, make sure to press the left and right arrow buttons to scroll through the rest of the pictures. There are 29 pictures in total.
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