Hardy showing growth

With the Mavericks plugging away and working to cut into a Minnesota lead in the third quarter, Jaden Hardy thought the team – and the crowd – could use a little jolt.

So he sized up the Wolves’ Kyle Anderson as he crossed midcourt, saw that there wasn’t much help coming defensively and decided to attack.

A couple dribbles later, Hardy got airborne and with a little double-clutch as he slid by Anderson, threw down the dunk of the game to get the Mavericks within 73-71.

Consider the American Airlines Center crowd jolted.

“I was trying to get the crowd involved and get everybody hyped,” Hardy said after the Mavericks couldn’t keep the electricity going and lost Game 4 105-100 Tuesday night as the Wolves avoided a sweep. “I saw coming down just one man in front of me. And nobody was low, so I decided: meet me at the rim.”

Nobody did. At least not in time.

It was the highlight of a night that did not go well for the Mavericks but was a promising showing by Hardy, who finished with 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting in 12 energetic minutes of action.

The Mavericks were plus-two during Hardy’s minutes.

“It felt great to see some shots go in while I was out there,” Hardy said. “I’m just trying to bring energy and bring another element to the team that makes us different and trying to make this championship run.”

The offense that Hardy has brought since he earned his way into the playoff rotation during the Oklahoma City series has been a strong asset for Kyrie Irving and Luka Dončić.

“Great,” Dončić said about how Hardy played. “I just told him. Keep going. When you’re open, shoot the ball. When (they) close, drive it. Just hoop.”

Hardy has no trouble asserting himself at the offensive end. His per-minute scoring is among the best in the league. And now he’s learning how to do that during the playoff run.

“Just being out there, I feel confident with those guys and Luka and Kai they both trust me with the ball,” he said. “Whenever they tell me to go, I go. So I’m not afraid of nobody.”

And he’s got the attention of the man that matters, coach Jason Kidd.

“You look at his ability to score, he’s not scared,” Kidd said. “And we’re going to need that from this point on. The trust from the coaches and also his teammates, they trust that he’s going to do the right thing. You can see that in this series. He’s playing at a high level. And on the road, we’re going to need his scoring, his playmaking.”

Hardy also hit three of his four three-point attempts.

His fearlessness on the offensive end is a good indication of just how he has grown in his second season in the league.

“You can see that he’s getting more comfortable,” Kidd said. “With D-Live (Dereck Lively II) out, I thought he did a great job of giving us a lift, energy-wise. We’re going to need his energy, we’re going to need his scoring and then we’re going to need his defense.

“But I love the way Hardy’s playing right now.”

X: @ESefko