Mavericks veteran guard gets injured at worst possible time

The Dallas Mavericks pulled even with the LA Clippers Tuesday, as the team pulled off a 96-93 victory on the road. Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving did their part combining for 55 points, 12 assists, and four steals.

The team beat the Clippers in almost every category down the stat line. Dallas outshot LA by 5.3 percent and outrebounded them on the defensive end by six boards.

The biggest difference though came from the Mavs' role players. P.J. Washington had 18 points on 3-4 shooting from the 3-point line, Derrick Jones Jr. also did his part, scoring 10 points and grabbing seven rebounds.

Mavericks veteran gets injured at worst possible time

The Mavs however suffered a major blow to their bench. Sixth Man of the Year candidate Tim Hardaway Jr. went down with an ankle sprain halfway through the second quarter. He came down awkwardly on a shot attempt against Paul George.

His shot against George would be his only attempt, as he played six minutes before leaving the game.

The Mavs have no timetable if Hardaway Jr. will miss any time. The team should have a status update when the injury report comes out tomorrow at practice from Jason Kidd.

It would be a huge blow to Dallas if he does miss some time. Yesterday, the Mavs scored 96 points in a game they won by three. This differs from the team's usual offense, as they averaged 117.9 points per game during the season and the increase of defense in the playoffs has been huge.

Hardaway Jr. played a big part in helping the Mavs' offense flourish this season. He was the team's third-leading scorer last season, as Hardaway Jr. averaged 14.4 points per game. He also shot 40.2 percent from the field.

Hardaway's production will be missed if does have to miss time. There's no question he is one of the team's top leading scorers, as the guard can get hot at any minute regardless of his recent struggles.

Dallas will look for someone to help pick up Hardaway Jr.'s offense. Candidates that could replace his production include Josh Green, someone who fans had been wanting to replace his minutes, and Dante Exum.

Dallas can only hope Hardaway Jr.'s injury is not long-term, as they could use his production to help get past the Clippers.

Stay tuned to The Smoking Cuban, as we will provide the latest updates on Hardaway's status and the Mavs' outlook for Game 3.