Jaden Hardy, Dereck Lively II Step Up Big in Mavs’ Comeback Win Over Magic
It was a literal blood-and-guts performance from the Dallas Mavericks and Orlando Magic as both teams were entangled in a back-and-forth brawl on Monday night. But when the dust finally settled, the Mavs finished on top with a 131-129 win over Orlando at the American Airlines Center.
While Luka Doncic continued his torrid pace with a double-double, as he scored 45 points with 15 assists and nine rebounds, second-year guard Jaden Hardy and rookie center Dereck Lively II were also instrumental in Dallas (26-21) overcoming a 16-point deficit in the second half. Hardy set a season-high with 20 points, shooting 8-9 from the field and 4-5 from beyond the arc, and had seven assists. Of Hardy’s 20 points, 18 came in the first half, which kept Dallas within striking distance and kept Orlando (24-23) from completely pulling away before the second half began.
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“I felt very comfortable out there,” Hardy said. “Just playing off the closeouts and reading the defense once I get into the paint and finding my teammates for open shots.”
Mavs head coach Jason Kidd lauded the performance of Hardy and how he gave the team a spark off the bench. Kidd also noted the young guard must find more consistency to string together more performances like he had against Orlando.
"We've got young players who can, at times, be inconsistent, and that's just the nature of the game," Kidd said. "But we're going to stay positive and keep teaching. [Jaden] Hardy played at a high level, and now it's being able to stack that."
Lively had a double-double with 20 points, shooting an efficient 8-9 from the field while grabbing 11 rebounds. He also played through a bloody nose after being struck in the face by Magic center Wendell Carter Jr. late in the fourth quarter. Lively made a pair of free throws and threw down an alley-oop from Doncic to give the Mavs a six-point lead with 36.1 seconds left in the game.
Lively now has eight double-doubles in his rookie season, and it was the third time he's had at least 20 points and 10 rebounds.
Dallas’ young players showing signs of growth is a more than welcome sign for a team that has endured so many untimely injuries this season. If Lively and Hardy continue to produce as they did against the Magic, they could be two of the missing pieces Dallas needs to make a second-half run.
