Hardy broke out of slump against Hawks

ATLANTA – Dallas Mavericks guard Jaden Hardy had a party over in Atlanta on Monday night. Not that kind of party.

It was the kind of party that had Hardy probably wanting to pop some champagne after he scored a season-high 23 points during the Mavs’ 129-119 victory over the Atlanta Hawks. The breakout game from Hardy came after he struggled and scored just 19 points and was only 7-of-24 from the field in the three games prior to the contest against the Hawks.

Guard Spencer Dinwiddie said the three games before the Mavs played Atlanta shouldn’t be taken as true indicators of Hardy’s value to the Mavs.

“I don’t think two subpar games are going to shake his confidence, nor should it,” Dinwiddie said. “Especially given the fact that obviously everything is in flux right now. Roles are still kind of being defined for the bench where we’re waiting to really play at full strength for a consistent amount of time.

“There’s nothing that Jaden should take poorly, especially in his young career. He’s still learning and growing (and he’s) super talented.”

Hardy was thrust into the starting lineup against the Hawks, because point guard Luka Dončić was sidelined due to a sprained right wrist. He responded by converting 8-of-18 shots – he was 2-of-7 from downtown – and also picked up three steals.

“It felt good to get going a little bit (Monday), and also just to get the win,” Hardy said. “We needed this win.

“Nobody’s going to have a perfect game when you go out there. Everybody is going to make mistakes, but it’s really just moving on to the next play and having the next play mentality. As long as you bring the energy and effort, I felt like you’ll be good.”

Hardy felt the good vibes coming from guard Kyrie Irving as the two teammates embraced.

“He came in and started and did exactly what was necessary for us to get over the hump,” Irving said. “He stayed aggressive, and it was just a beautiful brand of basketball when you know you got five guys out there that are looking to attack the rim and make plays for one another.

“I’m really proud of him. I want him to keep it up. (Monday) he just showed his value as he’s been doing since preseason and just throwing him out there and playing against the best of the best.”

Hardy poured in 10 of the 33 points the Mavs scored in the second quarter against the Hawks. That comes from his reputation of being able to get buckets in a short period of time.

“To be honest it reminds me — in terms of the scoring ability — of Kam Thomas, somebody I played with in Brooklyn,” Dinwiddie said. “(He has) the ability to get hot quick and be dynamic in that sense, so the sky’s the limit for him.

“(He has to) just stay focused (and) keep working. He’s got every tool in terms of scoring, for sure. He’s a confident kid. I know he believes in his scoring ability, so I know it’s always nice to see the ball go in.”

Here are the three takeaways from the Mavs’ 10-point win over the Hawks.

IRVING OWNED THE FOURTH QUARTER: One of the things Mavs guard Kyrie Irving has a history of, it’s his ownership of the fourth quarter. The 14-year veteran did it again Monday when he tallied 16 of his game-high 32 points in the fourth quarter. With the game on the line, Irving tallied 16 points in the fourth quarter when he was 6-of-8 from the field, including 4-of-5 from beyond the three-point arc. During one stretch in the final quarter, Irving drilled three straight three-pointers.

THE ROARING 20’S: The Mavs accomplished something Monday they hadn’t accomplished in nearly 10 months. And that is the game against the Hawks marked the first time the Mavs had four players score at lest 20 points in the same game. That hadn’t happened since Jan. 29 of last season when the Mavs accomplished that feat during a 131-129 win over the Orlando Magic. On Monday for the Mavs, Kyrie Irving poured in 32 points, Jaden Hardy tallied 23 points, and Naji Marshall and Spencer Dinwiddie scored 22 points apiece.

PAINT POINTS MATTER: The Mavs had a field day roasting the Hawks inside the paint. It was as if it was open season for the Mavs as they outscored Atlanta on points in the paint by a wide 76-50 margin. The Mavs were 38-of-67 on shots in the paint for a superb 56.7 percent. At various times it appeared as though the Mavs had this grand idea of simply just wanting to make a living in the paint as they kept scoring basket after basket after basket inside the painted area.

X: @DwainPrice