Mavericks barely led in Game 6 vs. Thunder. How did they complete remarkable comeback?

There was the dynamic tandem of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, who provided the shotmaking and playmaking needed to close out the young Thunder.

For the third consecutive game, Derrick Jones Jr. provided an offensive spark for the Mavericks. His eight points in the first two minutes of the third quarter shifted the momentum back into Dallas' favor. However, his fadeaway over Chet Holmgren as the shot clock expired gave the Mavericks a five-point lead with 1:11 remaining. It's an example of why he's likely to have a profitable offseason as an unrestricted free agent this summer.

Dereck Lively II's second consecutive playoff double-double (12 points, 15 rebounds) off the bench proved he's a rookie center playing well beyond his years.

Last but certainly not least: The late-game heroics of P.J. Washington — whom some might've considered an afterthought in the first three quarters — pushed the Mavericks across the finish line. He scored all nine of his points in the final 12 minutes of a game in which Dallas led for only three minutes.

"We said at halftime, we're not going [back] to OKC," said Doncic, who recorded his third straight triple-double with 29 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists.

They'll receive three days of rest before the start of the Western Conference finals. Had OKC forced a Game 7, Dallas would have had just one day between games.

Speaking of rest, foul trouble hindered Washington for the second consecutive game. He picked up two fouls in the first quarter and played just 5.5 minutes in the first half. Washington went scoreless through the first three quarters until he drained a free throw at the 5:19 mark of the fourth quarter.

With perhaps the most energy of anyone on the court, he knocked down two timely 3s, the first of which was a result of his own offensive rebound. Gilgeous-Alexander fouled him with 2.5 seconds left.

He drained both free throws to give the Mavericks a one-point lead and intentionally missed the third to kill the remainder of the clock.

Once the final buzzer sounded, Washington struck the pose that went viral in Game 3 against the Clippers. With his arms in the exact fashion, he screamed to celebrate the finality of another successful playoff series.

Ticket to the West Finals punched.

"P.J. was well rested," Kidd said. "We need to talk about the fouling and hacking out there. ... But the beauty of P.J. is that his character is like no other. You would have thought he had 30 points tonight.

"He just plays. He never complains. ... The biggest play — that won't go down as the biggest play — was to miss the free throw in the proper way."

Irving, who recently called the matchup against Oklahoma City one of his most difficult playoff series, also had a second-half explosion after scoring just four in the first half. Eighteen of his 22 points occurred in the final 24 minutes, including 10 in the third quarter.

At the 7:44 mark of the third quarter, Kidd called Irving to the sideline for a brief chat. The veteran coach covered his mouth to shield his words from lipreaders and the bevy of cameras inside the arena. Kidd revealed parts of the conversation after the game, which stemmed from Irving's offensive challenges throughout the series.

"He said this was the hardest thing that he's ever gone through," Kidd recalled. "I said, 'Is it? Well, you did win a championship, so it was easy? Actually, this would be a great story to be able to tell your kids how hard it really is to win. ... I just told him to just put this up there with some of the hardest things you're going to have to grind through. You gotta find a way to help us win this game. And he did.

After the game, Irving needed a moment to collect himself before conducting his postgame radio responsibilities. He sat on the scorer's table with his hand over his face, taking in every moment. It's the first time Irving has been to a conference finals since his final season in Cleveland in 2016-17. With the win, Irving's unblemished record in close-out games (14-0) remains in tact.

"Yes, he's probably exhausted. Yes, he's probably felt like he could have made a couple of shots," Kidd said. "But he did his part to help the team win on the defensive end and also accepted the double teams. When you look at his series, yes, he didn't have the offensive explosion. He was the glue in this series. He kept everybody together. He kept everybody positive. Yes, it was the hardest thing, but it only gets harder, and that's what makes it fun for the great ones."

As the stakes get higher in the Western Conference finals, the message stays the same for Dallas.

"The job isn't finished," Irving said.

Mike Curtis, Mavericks Beat Writer. Mike is the Mavericks Beat Writer for The Dallas Morning News. Before his arrival at the DMN, he spent two seasons covering the Detroit Pistons at The Detroit News. Mike earned his bachelor's degree in Communications from Tennessee State University and received his master's degree in Media and Communication from Middle Tennessee State University.

mike.curtis@dallasnews.com @MikeACurtis2