NEW ORLEANS – To say that Tim Hardaway Jr. has adapted well to the role of sixth man would not be doing him justice.
He’s off to a fantastic start in terms of shooting the ball and if you hadn’t noticed, he’s also among the league leaders (with former Maverick Jalen Brunson) in number of charges taken with eight in nine games.
In a season when the NBA is cracking down on flopping, Hardaway has not allowed it to impact his passion for putting his nose (and other body parts) in the way of driving opponents.
Darrell Armstrong, the Mavericks’ assistant coach who was the champion charge-taker of the league during his playing days, would be proud.
Of course, it’s the 17.9 points per game and 39 percent shooting from three-point range that get everybody’s attention. And it’s not like he’s just shooting triples occasionally. He’s hoisting more than nine per game.
And his work at both ends of the court is one of the keys for the Mavericks’ 7-2 start.
They will try to make that 8-2 Sunday at New Orleans in the first of two meetings with the Pelicans at Smoothie King Center. The second one will be an in-season tournament game.
- The Pelicans are starting a six-game home stand on which they will play only four teams. The Mavericks and, later, Sacramento Kings, both have two games in a row at NOLA. The Pels, by the way, have lost four games in a row, the last three on the road.
- They have a slew of injuries. C.J. McCollum (lung), Jose Alvarado (ankle) and Trey Murphy III (knee) all are out. Herb Jones (leg) and Naji Marshall (knee) also missed Friday’s 104-101 loss at Houston.
- Strangely enough, Zion Williamson is not among the injured and is averaging 22.1 points, 7.1 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game. Brandon Ingram is their leading (healthy) scorer at 23 points per game. The Pels also still have center Jonas Valanciunas, who has been a pain for the Mavericks in the past and is averaging 12 points and 8.6 rebounds per game.
- The Mavericks are starting a four-game road trip. After the two games in New Orleans, they have a difficult back-to-back in Washington on Wednesday, then two off days before playing at Milwaukee on Saturday. They then return home for another challenging back-to-back against Sacramento.
- Luka Dončić had 44 points in the blowout win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday. His 81-percent shooting from the field (17-of-21) is the highest mark for a game in his career. He was 11-of-12 on shots inside the three-point arc.
- In addition, the Mavericks overall continued their sizzling three-point shooting to start the season. Through nine games, they have 155 triples made, the most through nine games in NBA history.
MAVERICKS (7-2) at NEW ORLEANS PELICANS (4-5)
When, where: 6 p.m. Sunday, Smoothie King Center, New Orleans.
TV: Bally Sports Southwest.
Radio: 97.1 FM The Freak; 99.1 FM Zona MX (Spanish).
X: @ESefko
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