WATCH: Kyrie Irving masterfully recreates iconic 2016 Christmas Day game-winner in Game 3 vs Thunder
Kyrie Irving and the Dallas Mavericks took care of business in their first home game in the Western Conference Semifinals, outlasting the OKC Thunder 105-101 in Saturday’s Game 3. During the final minutes of the game, the guard pulled off a move that brought fans back to 2016.
Kyrie Irving executed a move reminiscent of his game-winning shot for the Cleveland Cavaliers against the Golden State Warriors on Christmas Day in 2016.
In that game, he was defended by Klay Thompson, but in this instance, he was guarded by OKC sophomore Jalen Williams.
Watch both plays side-by-side below:
Irving's shot in 2016 earned him the reputation as the "Warriors killer" among fans. His game-winning 3-pointer for the Cavaliers in the 2016 NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors was a pivotal moment that propelled Cleveland to its first-ever championship in franchise history.
Kyrie Irving delivered a standout offensive performance in Game 3, scoring 22 points without attempting a single free throw. He shot 10-for-17 from the field, 2-for-6 from beyond the arc and contributed seven assists and five rebounds.
Irving also led the team in playing time with 40 minutes and 48 seconds and made a significant impact during his time on the court, finishing with a plus-minus of plus-11.
Williams ended the game with 16 points and eight assists on 12 shots.
PJ Washington outscores Kyrie Irving, Luka Doncic in Game 3
After a huge Game 2 where he scored a playoff career-high 29 points, PJ Washington proved instrumental for the Dallas Mavericks yet again as he dropped a team-high 27 points.
Washington made 11 of 23 shots from the field and converted five of 12 3-point attempts. He also finished with six rebounds. He outscored both Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, who each scored 22 points. Doncic also had 15 rebounds and five assists.
The Mavericks weathered a 31-point night from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and improved to 2-1 with one more game on their home turf.
According to OKC's MVP runner-up, the Thunder need to figure out how to stop Washington for them to win the series and advance to the Western Conference finals.
“He's hooping,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “We've got to turn that water off if we want to win this series, for sure.”
The Mavericks outrebounded the Thunder, 48-41, but the Thunder had the advantage in blocking, 11-2. Dallas outscored OKC in points in the paint (52-40), second-chance points (16-9) and fastbreak points (11-10).