On Friday night, the Dallas Mavericks welcome the Los Angeles Clippers to Texas in Game 6 of the first round of their playoff series.
The Mavs will be without one of their best players in this game as Tim Hardaway Jr. is out.
This will be the fourth consecutive game he has missed, having missed the past three games.
via Underdog NBA: “Tim Hardaway Jr. (ankle) was listed on Friday.”
Hardaway Jr. played in 79 games and had a productive season, averaging 14.4 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game while shooting 40.2% from the field and 35.3% from 3-point range. .
The Mavs are the fifth seed in the Western Conference with a record of 50 wins and 32 losses.
They are coming off a season in which they reached the Western Conference Finals in 2022 but missed the NBA playoffs (and play-in tournament).
April 12, 2024. Dallas, Texas, USA.Dallas Mavericks forward Tim Hardaway Jr. (10) warms up
Chris Jones – USA TODAY Sports
The Mavs currently have a 3-2 lead over the Clippers, so they can close out the series with a win on Friday.
Most recently, the Mavs won Game 5 (on the road) by a score of 123-93.
All-Star Luka Doncic led the way with 35 points, seven rebounds, 10 assists and one steal on 14-of-26 field goals and 2-of-8 3-pointers in 39 minutes.
May 1, 2024. Los Angeles, California, USA. Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77)
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
If the Clippers can survive, Game 7 will be played Sunday in Los Angeles.
The winner of the series will advance to the second round and face the Oklahoma City Thunder.
