4 Mavericks whose stocks are rising, 4 that are falling before Thunder series

3. Falling: Tim Hardaway Jr.

Dallas Mavericks guard Tim Hardaway Jr. is set to return to the lineup tonight against the Oklahoma City Thunder, but he missed nearly the entire series against the LA Clippers after spraining his ankle in Game 2.

Later in that series, Hardaway Jr. was set to return to the lineup, but he aggravated his ankle in practice at the worst possible time. Dallas was able to pull out the series win and Josh Green stepped up in a big way during Hardaway Jr.'s absence, but his stock definitely fell some after not playing in this series combined with the fact that he didn't do much in the playing time he did get.

Hardaway Jr. scored six points in 22 minutes over Games 1 and 2, and he shot 2-6 from the field. He obviously didn't get much run in Game 2 due to him getting injured, and it would be massive if he could have a big series against the Thunder.

The Mavs are going to need all the help they can get in this series due to Maxi Kleber going down with an injury, and Hardaway Jr. returning to being an elite shooter could be exactly what they need to take down Oklahoma City.

It's not like Hardaway Jr. will go back to being the Sixth Man of the Year candidate that he was during the first half of the season right away, but steps in the right direction would be big for Dallas.