Mavericks' Jaden Hardy: Hits for 17 off bench

Hardy supplied 17 points (6-11 FG, 2-4 3Pt, 3-4 FT), three rebounds, three assists and one block in 25 minutes off the bench during Friday's 134-122 loss to Cleveland.

It was the third-year guard's best scoring effort since he delivered a season-high 23 points in a spot start against the Hawks on Nov. 25. Hardy has played more than 20 minutes in three straight games as Dallas adjusts to the absence of Luka Doncic (calf) while also having Kyrie Irving (illness) spot in and out of the lineup, but it will likely require both star guards being unavailable again for the 2022 second-round pick to be much more than a DFS punt play for fantasy purposes.