Dallas Mavs’ Tim Hardaway Jr. Picks Up Slack with Kyrie Irving Out: ‘Laying My Body on The Line’

With Kyrie Irving nursing a right foot injury, Mavs' Tim Hardaway Jr. is feeling the pressure to step up in his absence … and so far, he’s doing a great job.

On Tuesday, the Dallas Mavericks earned a hard-fought, clutch-time victory over LeBron James and Anthony Davis’ In-Season Tournament champion Los Angeles Lakers, 127-125, extending their win streak to four games and their overall record to 15-8.

Alongside Luka Doncic's 33 points and 17 assists, it was Tim Hardaway Jr. who stepped up off the bench as the team’s second-leading scorer, pouring in a season-high 32 points on 10-of-21 shooting from the floor and 5-of-10 from downtown while hitting 7-of-8 free throws. 

With Doncic’s co-star Kyrie Irving out of the lineup due to a heel contusion, Hardaway knows that it's mostly on him to provide Dallas with an extra scoring boost to make up for the loss or Irving's production.

"A lot. It's a little bit of picking and choosing your spots," Hardaway said when asked if he feels pressure with Irving out. "I knew I was going to come out aggressive with how they were going to defend Luka [Doncic]. I just had to try my best to put a stamp on the game. When any shooter has any daylight and the first shot goes up and in, the basket feels like an ocean."

Mavs' Tim Hardaway Jr. drives to the basket past Lakers' Jaxson Hayes / Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

"You have the same mindset for the most part," Hardaway said. "[You have to] be aggressive coming off the bench. I know what I have to do offensively and defensively. Today was a great day."

But, it wasn't just Hardaway's scoring that left a positive impact on the game -- he did the same on the defensive end of the floor as well. Hardaway, who ranks second in the league in charges taken, took three on Tuesday despite battling back spasms.

"It didn't help at all, but I have to lay my body on the line for my team," Hardaway said of taking charges while dealing with those back spasms. "Those three charges definitely gave us extra possessions. It doesn't show up on a stat sheet, but it does show up on the hustle plays when we watch film. That's all that matters."

If Irving is expected to miss considerable time nursing his right foot bruise, the importance of Hardaway's scoring punch off the bench will continue to magnify … and his newfound positive impact on defense certainly doesn’t hurt the Mavs’ chances of continuing to rack up wins either.

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