Saturday’s NBA playoffs action delivered two critical Game 3 matchups in the Western Conference and Eastern Conference. We also witnessed some outstanding performances from a few stars including Dallas Mavericks point guard Kyrie Irving.
However, Saturday also provided a reminder of why the NBA trade deadline can be important and how a shrewd move or two can make the difference in tight games. So while winners and losers in the NBA playoffs are typically players, we’re highlighting some general managers on Saturday.
Here are the winners and losers from Saturday’s NBA playoffs action.
Winner: Dallas Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison
Advancing in the NBA playoffs is about the stars of the team, but a general manager makes the difference in tight games like this one. In Saturday’s victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder, P.J. Washington delivered 27 points with 6 rebounds, rookie Dereck Lively II contributed 12 points and 8 rebounds, all while Kyrie Irving came through clutch in the second half. Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison acquired all of those players and Ddallas doesn’t have a 2-1 series lead heading into a huge Game 4 at home without the moves Harrison made.
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Loser: Josh Giddey, Oklahoma City Thunder guard
Every minute that Josh Giddey sees the court in this NBA playoffs series is a minute the Oklahoma City Thunder are doing a favor for the Dallas Mavericks. While Giddey is still just 22 years old, he’s played over 200 games in the NBA. In the Mavericks vs Thunder series, Giddey is responsible for a -28 plus/minus and that includes Oklahoma City’s 117-95 victory in Game 1. Dallas is inviting him to shoot from the perimeter and for good reason – 1-for-8 in three games – so Oklahoma City can blame itself for still not learning its lesson.
Winner: Kyrie Irving, Dallas Mavericks guard
This is one of the reasons why the Dallas Mavericks acquired Kyrie Irving. With Luka Doncic not nearly as effective due to a myriad of injuries he’s playing through, Dallas needs someone to step up. Irving delivered 14 second-half points and while that figure might not stand out on the box score, some of his biggest buckets came in clutch moments. After everything that transpired in Brooklyn, Irving deserves credit for thriving in Dallas. He could be the reason why the Mavericks might just stun the Thunder and advance to the Western Conference Finals.
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Loser: Oklahoma City Thunder general manager Sam Presti
Sam Presti is one of the best general managers in the NBA and the Oklahoma City Thunder were labeled winners at the 2024 NBA trade deadline. However, it’s hard to defend Presti right now. Gordon Hayward, Presti’s “big” addition at the deadline has played 15 total minutes in 3 games with more personal fouls (2) than points, rebounds and steals combined (1). Meanwhile, the big weakness Oklahoma City had all year with its lack of rebounding, was on full display with Dallas outrebounding the Thunder by a +10 margin in the last two games.
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Winner: P.J. Washington, Dallas Mavericks forward
In 73 games during the regular season, P.J. Washington scored 27-plus points just three times and he never had just one game with 27-plus points and 6-plus rebounds. The Mavericks’ power forward has done that twice in consecutive games, paving the way for back-to-back wins by Dallas. The Mavericks gave up Grant Williams and a 2027 first-round pick to get him, which is quickly proving to be worth it. Washington is truly the Mavericks’ MVP of this series and they even have him under contract for another year after this at just $14.152 million.
Loser: Darius Garland, Cleveland Cavaliers guard
Someone should probably tell Darius Garland that the Eastern Conference Semifinals started a few days ago. Garland was already averaging well below his season averages in scoring (18.0 to 14.0) and assists (6.5 to 4.5) in the first two games of the series. Things only got worse on Saturday night against the Boston Celtics. For all the Donovan Mitchell trade rumors, perhaps, it would be in the Cavaliers’ best interest to trade Garland since he is owed $126.5 million over the next three seasons.
Winner: Jrue Holiday, Boston Celtics guard
Entering Saturday night, Jrue Holiday had averaged just 8.1 points in the playoffs this year with a 16.7 PPG average in 77 career playoff games. The Celtics’ star guard had 15 in the first half against Cleveland, propelling Boston in a strong first-half performance. Holiday at his best is a treat for basketball fans to watch and if he can deliver more performances like this, the Celtics are scary.
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Loser: Derrick White, Boston Celtics guard
Derrick White must still be in Boston, delayed by the solar storm. Coming off a breakthrough year, the NBA All-Defensive Team selection was put in a blender by Donovan Mitchell on the way to a 23-point performance in the first half. On the offensive end, White had had many turnovers (1) as points in 18 minutes, going 0-for-5 from the field. The good news for Boston, White looked better in the second half and that will hopefully get him going for Game 4.
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Winner: Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers
Donovan Mitchell is the Cavaliers. No matter what happens in the rest of this series, Cleveland needs to pay Mitchell whatever he wants because he’s worth every penny. In the first half alone, Mitchell shot 75 percent from the perimeter (6-of-8) and tacked on 2 steals, all with 23 points in 21 minutes. Superstars are born in the playoffs and Mitchell has joined that stratosphere this year.
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Winner: Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics
This is everything fans wanted to see and more. Jaylen Brown had already been elevating his game in this series, leading Boston with 32 points and 6 rebounds in the Game 1 victory. However, it’s when Tatum and Brown are both excelling that we see the version of the Celtics that looks unstoppable. Boston’s duo has received its fair share of criticisms for previous postseason let downs and they earned it, but the tandem’s showing on Saturday night deserves some praise. Now, it needs to become the standard in order for the Celtics to make a championship run.
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