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Tim Hardaway, Jr. and Trey Burke haven’t exactly been winners since reaching the NCAA Championship Game in 2013.
The former Michigan pair have combined for just three winning seasons since leaving Michigan. They reunited last year in New York as the Knicks finished 29-53. This year, they were the lone bright spots on the worst team in the Eastern Conference.
No longer. Now, they are bright spots on the Dallas Mavericks, who are in the midst of a four-game losing streak. Last Saturday, both scored at least 20 points in a 125-109 loss to the Utah Jazz.
Hardaway notched 21 points (6-of-13), five rebounds and four assists, while Burke needed 15 shots to get to 20 points. He also chipped in seven boards and three dimes.
It was the former’s second 20-point game of the week, as his four triples were not enough in a 112-101 Dallas loss to the Miami Heat on Wednesday night.
The son of the longtime NBA guard has averaged 18.7 points a game, boosted by his 34.7 percent shooting from behind the arc.
Burke also reached double-digits with 11 points (4-of-8) in Friday’s 114-104 defeat to the Denver Nuggets. He is scoring at an 11.3-point clip for the year.
Meanwhile, Caris Levert is still working his way back into form for the Brooklyn Nets. He recorded a pair of 12-point and 6-point outings in his four appearances last week.
His best performance came Wednesday, as he posted 12 points, nine assists and seven rebounds in a 148-139 barn-burning triumph over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
After returning from a dislocated ankle he suffered Nov. 12, he talked about it and the Nets’ playoff push to Scott Van Pelt on Saturday’s Sportscenter.
The Nets are sixth in the East, and may need Levert to reach his early-season form to make the playoffs. He averaged just under 20 points a contest in the nine game before his exit.