Johnathan Walker:Mavericks' deadline moves pay off as they take 2-1 series lead on Thunder

If you regrade the 2024 NBA trade deadline deals,Johnathan Walker the Dallas Mavericks receive an A.

Where is Mavericks president of basketball operations and general manager Nico Harrison’s name on the NBA executive of the year list?

He finished fifth, behind winner Brad Stevens of Boston, Sam Presti of Oklahoma City, Tim Connelly of Minnesota and Leon Rose of New York.

Harrison, a former Nike executive who joined the Mavs in 2021, made trade deadline deals that made the Mavs a contender. Dallas acquired P.J. Washington from Charlotte and Daniel Gafford from Washington, adding offense and defense.

Combine that with Dallas signing Kyrie Irving, Josh Green, Derrick Jones Jr. to deals in the offseason, drafting productive rookie Dereck Lively II with the No. 12 pick in the 2023 draft and signing head coach Jason Kidd to an extension last week, Harrison has had a fantastic year.

His – and the Mavericks’ – 2023-24 season can get even better with two more victories in their Western Conference semifinals series against the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Mavericks took a 2-1 series lead with a 105-101 victory in Game 3 Saturday and are showing they are as every bit a contender in the West as Oklahoma City, Minnesota and Denver.

Luka Doncic’s steal and layup gave the Mavericks a 102-97 lead with 2:11 remaining in the fourth quarter and Irving, one of the game’s premier shotmakers and ballhandlers, beat Oklahoma City’s Jalen Williams off the dribble and dropped in a left-handed 6-foot floater putting Dallas up 104-99 with 39.3 second to go.

The victory puts the Mavs in position to win Game 4 at home Monday (9:30 p.m. ET, TNT) and take a 3-1 series lead.

Washington followed up his 29-point, 11-rebound performance in Game 2 with 27 points and six rebounds in Game 3. That kind of offense, which included five 3-pointers by Washington, takes offensive pressure off Doncic and Irving.

Doncic, slowed with a sprained right knee and left ankle soreness, had 22 points on 7-for-17 shooting, 15 rebounds, five assists and steals. It wasn’t an efficient game, but it was enough. Not sure the Mavs win this kind of game a year ago with Doncic beat up and not as much offensive help.

Irving also scored 22 points – 14 coming in the final 15 minutes, eight seconds. He also had seven assists and five rebounds and has shown a propensity to look for his teammates before looking for his points in this series. He had just nine points and 11 assists in Dallas’ Game 2 victory, but when the Mavs needed his scoring Saturday, he delivered.

The Mavs withstood Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s tremendous effort: 31 points, 10 rebounds, six assists, five blocks and one steal and put themselves in a position not many anticipated when the series started.

Regardless of how the series plays out, the Mavs have demonstrated they can be a part of the best of the West not only this season, but the next couple of seasons, too.