3 encouraging takeaways from Dallas Mavericks loss to Houston Rockets

The Dallas Mavericks lost to the Houston Rockets 101-92 on Nov. 16 without superstar Luka Doncic, who rested on the second night of a back-to-back. Dallas was coming off a hard-fought win over the rival Clippers, and the difficult game caught up to them late as they mustered just 18 fourth-quarter points and only 41 in the second half to fall to 8-6 on the season.

It was a historic night for the young Rockets as they blocked 19 shots and shot 45.5 percent from 3-point range. Houston earned just their third win of the season as seven Rockets scored in double figures on Wednesday night at the American Airlines Center.

What can fans take away from the Mavericks' loss without Luka Doncic? There was plenty, including an impressive performance from Tim Hardaway Jr.

Takeaway from Dallas Mavericks loss to Rockets: 3. THJ gets hot and looks healthy

Tim Hardaway Jr. had a night to forget in Tuesday’s win over the LA Clippers as he was held scoreless in 22 minutes of action and missed all seven of his field goals. The 6’5 wing did not shy away from shooting, but they were not falling. Luckily, things turned around against the Rockets.

Hardaway Jr. had 28 points on ten of 26 shooting from the field, including five 3-pointers. It was not the most-efficient night from THJ, but he delivered a key scoring performance that helped keep the Mavericks in the game. Ultimately, they ran out of steam late, but Hardaway Jr. was impressive on Wednesday night.

Tim Hardaway Jr. is still working his way to peak form after his season-ending foot injury in January. It was fantastic to see him have a monster performance against the Rockets, but he will continue to be up and down until he fully knocks off the rust.