Takeaway: Hardy was in a terrific zone against Orlando

ORLANDO – As if he had to remind his listeners about Jaden Hardy’s innate ability to be a bucket getter, Dallas Mavericks coach Jason Kidd reiterated his stance about the third-year guard following Thursday’s 101-92 triumph over the Orlando Magic.

“Hardy can play,” Kidd said. “Hardy is a guy that can score the ball, he can play-make.”

Against the Magic, Hardy was such an effective scorer that he knocked down five three-pointers in six attempts. Overall, he was 7-of-12 from the field while coming off the bench and scoring a team-high 22 points in just 20 minutes.

When the Mavs ended the last ???? of the game-deciding third quarter on a massive 20-2 run, it was Hardy who tallied a trio of three-pointers in an 88-second span. Indeed, the basket must have looked like an ocean at that time for Hardy.

“It feel good,” he said. “Once I got a hot hand I feel like it’s going to keep going in.

“I’m not thinking about missing. It felt good that my teammates found me (Thursday) and I found a rhythm.”

Keeping a sustained issue has been the big bugaboo with Hardy this season. Then again, his rhythm was compromised after he missed seven games due to a sprained right ankle he suffered against Sacramento on March 3.

“I think every time he started to go in the right direction, unfortunately he’s had an ankle injury,” Kidd said. “He stepped on someone’s foot and then he’s out for a couple of weeks, and he just lose his rhythm.

“You can see he’s starting to catch his rhythm, and once he gets into rhythm he’s one of the best scorers I think in the league.” We always talk about coming out of the game healthy, and hopefully we can keep him healthy because we need his scoring.”

Hardy was in such a zone against Orlando that when he tossed in a three-pointer???the ball hit the rim, bounced high into the air, then nestled calmly into the nets and put the Mavs ahead, 97-88, with 1:52 remaining in the game.

“I just felt that was God right there,” Hardy said. “I felt that was God that did that one.

“Really, when I got out there (I’m) just letting the game come to me and reading how my man was guarding me. If he was up, (I’m) just driving to close out, trying to find my teammate, kick, just trying to get the ball moving and trying to see if it would come back to me. And if it did, knock it in.”

With eight games remaining in the regular season, the Mavs are hopeful that Hardy will continue to knock down his share of shots.

“We always talk about coming out of the game healthy,” Kidd said. “Hopefully we can keep him healthy because we need his scoring.”

Here are the takeaways from the nine-point win over the Magic.

WHAT A RUN: Early in the second half, the Magic seemingly had control of the game as they built a 68-57 lead with 5:17 remaining in the third quarter. From there, the Mavs lower such a powerful boom which Orlando was never able to recover. Over the final 4:46 of the third quarter, the Mavs outscored the Magic, 20-2. During that span, Orlando went 0-of-10 from the field and turned the ball over three times. Jaden Hardy buried three three-pointers during that offensive explosion by the Mavs, who turned the Magic inside-out on both ends of the floor.

WILLIAMS’ STAR SHINING BRIGHT: Backup guard Brandon Williams continues to provide the Mavs with a spark. Coming off the bench on Thursday, Williams tallied 14 points and distributed a game-high six assists to go with a game-high tying two steals. In playing 27 minutes, Williams was 6-of-10 from the field. He also produced one of the game’s memorable moments. Williams darted up the court and stole the ball from Franz Wagner, then had the presence of mind to make a mad dash in the opposite direction and score on a driving layup. That sequence gave the Mavs an 87-79 lead at the 6:59 mark of the fourth quarter.

BENCH STEPPED UP: The Mavs may be short-handed – and they really, really are – but that hasn’t stopped their rather thin bench from being a factor in a game every now and then. Thursday was one of those magical games where the Mavs’ bench took center stage. Not only did the Mavs’ reserves outscore their Orlando counterparts, 57-19. But they also converted 20-of-35 shots for 57.1 percent, including making eight of their 10 three-point tries for a gaudy 80 percent. Jaden Hardy led the bench brigade with 22 points, Brandon Williams popped in 14 points and Max Christie added 12 points.

X: @DwainPrice