Top Mavericks Bench Scorer Out For Game 3

His Mavericks are currently in a first-round matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers. The teams split the first two meetings with Game 3 set to take place on Friday. The next two games will take place at the American Airlines Center in Dallas.

Unfortunately for Dallas, they will not have the 32-year-old Hardaway Jr.‘s services for Friday’s outing.

Top Mavericks Bench Scorer Out For Game 3

Hardaway Jr. Sprained His Ankle in Game 2

About midway through the second quarter in the Mavericks Game 2 victory, Tim Hardaway Jr. left the floor after spraining his right ankle. He went up for a three-pointer and landed awkwardly as Paul George contested his shot. He was unable to return to the game.

On Thursday, Hardaway Jr. was announced as out for the Game 3 meeting with the Clippers. The 6-5 forward/guard went scoreless in his six minutes on the court in Game 2 prior to the injury. Playing 16 minutes in Game 1, Hardaway Jr. scored six points and grabbed three rebounds.

This season, Dallas went 1-2 in the three games that Hardaway Jr. missed. The Mavericks bench has scored only 32 total points over their first two playoff games.

Josh Green and Dante Exum could see more minutes off the bench in Hardaway Jr.’s absence.

Really Slumped as the Season Went on

The Mavericks finished 11th in bench scoring for the 2023-24 season. Their top reserve in scoring was Hardaway Jr. who came off the bench in 67 of his 79 games played this season.

There is a stark difference in Hardaway Jr.’s numbers when comparing how he performed prior to the All-Star break to how he performed after.

In his 52 games (10 starts) before the All-Star break, Hardaway Jr. posted averages of 17.3 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.7 assists. He shot 41.4% from the field, 36.5% from three-point territory, and 87.7% from the foul line.

That scoring average was nearly cut in half in Hardaway Jr.’s 27 outings (two starts) after the All-Star break. He averaged just 8.9 points in those 27 games. His shooting splits dipped to .362/.318/.742, and he didn’t reach double figures in scoring in 16 of those games.

For the season, Hardaway Jr.’s final regular season averages were 14.4 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.8 assists. He surpassed 10,000 career regular season points this season. Hardaway Jr. has averaged 14.0 points per game for his career.