“We Knew We Had to Push the Pace”: Jaden Hardy Ignites Mavericks’ Rally Past Magic

Jaden Hardy scores 22 points to lead the short-handed Mavericks past the Magic 101-92, sparking a second-half rally with a burst of timely three-pointers.

Photo: Dallas Mavericks

On a night when the Dallas Mavericks were without six key players and lost another to injury in the opening minutes, Jaden Hardy delivered a timely scoring punch to lead a short-handed group past the Orlando Magic.

Hardy came off the bench and poured in 22 points, knocking down five of his six attempts from beyond the arc in a 101-92 win Thursday night at Kia Center. His biggest moment came late in the fourth quarter, when he buried a three-pointer that bounced twice on the rim before falling through, giving Dallas a 97-88 lead with 1:52 left to help put the game out of reach.

“After we went in the locker room (at halftime), we knew we had to come out pushing the pace,” Hardy said. “Defensively, we wanted to get stops and come out and share the ball and attack our matchups that we wanted. That’s what I feel like we did differently and what led to the success in the second half.”