The only time Matthews had scored 36 points before Sunday was a January evening in 2011. The only time he had hit 10 three-pointers was, well, never. (He topped out at eight made triples once in 2012.)
In what appeared to be an attempt to regress to the mean in a single game, Matthews was unstoppable in the Mavericks' win against the Wizards, who, for their part, kept leaving him open on simple catch-and-shoot jumpers. But unlike much of the season, where Matthews just hadn't been able to consistently hit those shots, they all went down against Washington.
It's been a difficult season for Matthews, and he's sure to suffer through more poor shooting nights going forward, but this was a necessary reminder of how talented he could be on both ends of the floor. Matthews' defense has passed the eye test all year while his offense lagged behind -- hopefully, though, things start to balance out.