Tim Hardaway Jr.’s hot shooting helps Mavs win 7th straight game

The big reason the Dallas Mavericks have won seven games in a row is the phenomenal play of Luka Doncic. He has unquestionably carried the team, winning back-to-back Western Conference Player of the Week nods.

For as much as Doncic is doing, he isn’t winning games alone. His teammates are rising to the occasion despite injuries to key rotation players. Tim Hardaway Jr. has been particularly effective during the Mavericks’ seven-game win streak, shooting the ball well and getting timely buckets.

Against the Houston Rockets on Monday night, Hardaway scored 21 points on 7-13 shooting overall, making five of his 11 3-point shots, including big ones, as the Mavericks clawed their way back from an 18-point deficit. He also chipped in three rebounds, an assist, and a steal.

“Timmy, I thought, held us—kept the game within 10,” Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd told the media after the game. “Timmy [got] going early. I think he was the only one that was going.”

During Dallas’ recent run of wins, he’s averaging 16.9 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 1.4 assists while shooting 40.8 percent overall and 34.8 percent from deep. He, Doncic and Christian Wood have been key figures in leading the team to the franchise’s first seven-game winning streak since 2011.

“Anytime you do something special, especially for the franchise, it’s amazing,” Hardaway said. “Seven-game win streak—haven’t had one since 2011, I think I’ve heard. It’s an amazing accomplishment. Hopefully, we can continue that moving forward.”

If the Mavericks can continue their win streak, they’ll need Hardaway to keep playing at a high level. While individual efforts certainly contribute to Dallas’ success, Hardaway says that the team coming together and seizing the moment is how it keeps winning.

“With the runs that we had during the streak, we learned a lot about ourselves,” Hardaway said. “The composure, the character, the trust factor—it goes a long way. It’s hard to win in this league, coach Kidd says every single day.

“It’s hard to win in this league, and any chance you have the opportunity to put yourself in that position, you have to take it. That’s what we’ve been doing, and that’s been our mindset for this past seven-game win streak.”