Key Player Suffers Injury Setback for Clippers vs Mavericks Game 5

The Dallas Mavericks were hoping to have Tim Hardaway Jr. available at some point during their series against the LA Clippers, but the chances of that seem to be slimming by the day.

Hardaway was initially listed as out during Game 3, then he was upgraded to doubtful for Game 4, and now he's being downgraded again as out for Game 5. According to Tim MacMahon from ESPN, Hardaway aggravated his right ankle sprain during a scrimmage after Tuesday's practice with the Mavericks.

This season, Hardaway was averaging 14.4 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.8 assists on 40/35/85 shooting. He never really had the chance to play in this playoff series against the Clippers, only playing a grand total of 20 minutes before getting injured in Game 2. In a time where the Dallas Mavericks are routinely struggling to score, they could absolutely use the services of Hardaway during this series. As a result, he's only averaged 3 points in 11 minutes a game.

The Clippers have had their share of history with the guard, as he was an absolute nightmare to deal with during the 2021 NBA Playoffs. In that season, Hardaway averaged 17.8 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.4 assists on 42/40/75 shooting.

Even without Hardaway, the Dallas Mavericks still have more than enough firepower to win the series against the shorthanded LA Clippers. Every single game has been a rock fight between the two, and Game 5 is on Wednesday at 10:00 p.m. EST.

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