NBA preseason play didn't get off to the best of starts for the Dallas Mavericks, as they lost to the Minnesota Timberlines in Abu Dhabi on Thursday. Despite a sluggish start, being down 37-19 at the end of the first quarter, the Mavs made a valiant effort at a second-half comeback before ultimately falling 111-99.
Luka Doncic led the way with 25 points, all of which came in the first half, but it was second-year guard Jaden Hardy who provided the spark that got Dallas back into the game. In 20 minutes off the bench, Hardy poured in 13 points, three assists and a steal while being a team-best plus-12 for the game.
“Once I got my name called, I just tried to create a spark, bring some life to the team, bring some energy and try to play my game,” Hardy said.
Playing in Abu Dhabi, it's only the fourth time Hardy has ever been outside the U.S., but he's relishing the experience and looking forward to building on the promising rookie season he had last year when the Mavs return home.
“I feel like I had a good rookie season,” Hardy said. “At the end of the season, I started getting more minutes and showed what I could do.”
After leading the G League in scoring for the Texas Legends last season, Hardy finally graduated up to getting consistent playing time for the Mavs in the second half of the year. In 48 games played, Hardy averaged 8.8 points while shooting 43.8 percent from the field and 40.4 percent from deep. He had nine games where he scored at least 20 points, including a career-high 29 points in a road win over the Utah Jazz in February without Luka Doncic or Kyrie Irving playing.
There are a lot of cooks in the Mavs' shooting-guard kitchen with Josh Green, Seth Curry, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Hardy all fighting for minutes. Given the flashes Hardy has shown, though, it would be wise for head coach Jason Kidd to find consistent minutes for the 21-year-old ... even if it means Dallas having to trade Hardaway.
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