Misfortune continues to haunt the Dallas Mavericks! After going down 0-1 on Sunday against the Clippers, Luka Doncic and Co. came into tonight’s Game 2, hoping to level the series. But their hopes came crashing down after their sniper Tim Hardaway Jr. suffered a scary injury in the first half, taking him out for the rest of the night.

With Paul George trying to block his shot, Hardaway put some extra oomph into his three-point attempt in the second quarter. Unfortunately, the Mavs guard landed awkwardly after the shot, tweaking his right ankle in the process. As the Mavs headed into a timeout, Hardaway appeared in some discomfort as he limped and hobbled back to the bench. But he did not forget to have a word with the official before leaving the floor. Maybe he was complaining about why a foul was not called on Paul George for jumping in his landing space. Soon after, Hardaway headed to the locker room, and it was reported that he would miss the remainder of the game due to a right ankle sprain.

Having played only six minutes in the entire game, and failing to get on the score board, Hardaway’s night ended in heavy disappointment. With that, he let his frustration loose by ripping a team towel into two pieces, and letting his anger out while on the Mavs’ bench. 

Moreover, there is a lot of uncertainty looming around Hardaway’s ankle injury, raising questions about his availability for the upcoming games in the series. We know, losing a career 36% shooter from the three-point line in the playoffs can hurt any team, let alone the Mavs, who thrive on their offense and shooting ability.

Dallas survives without Tim Hardaway Jr.

With Hardaway out of the game early, fans were quick to count the Mavs out in Game 2, and predicted another loss for the team. Not having Tim’s shooting prowess to keep them afloat, Dallas trailed at the end of the third quarter by one point. However, Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving were not ready to go down that easy. And in the face of adversity, the Mavs’ superstar duo put on a scoring clinic in the final period, leading their team to an impressive 96-93 victory. Then, with all eyes on Doncic, the five-time All-Star delivered, and hit a dagger three with less than two minutes remaining on the clock. With that shot, Dallas’ extended their lead to nine points.

However, the Clippers bounced back quickly and brought the game to within 3 points in the final minute. With the game on the line, Jason Kidd challenged a foul call on Kawhi Leonard, that could have cut down the lead to 2 points and ruined Dallas’ comeback. But the smart challenge by Kidd caused the officials to overturn the foul in the Mavs’ favor, maintaining their crucial three-point lead. With that, the game resorted to intentional fouls and free throws, but Dallas did not give up their lead. More importantly, Luka Doncic and Co. will now head home with more confidence as the series is tied at 1 game a piece.

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Both teams will meet again on Friday for Game 3, and it will be interesting to see if Tim Hardaway Jr. will be available to play that night.