The Dallas Mavericks traveled to San Francisco to take on the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday night, and during the first half of action, one of the team’s most prolific perimeter scorers left the game with a potentially serious injury.
Tim Hardaway Jr. pushed the ball in transition and saw a lane to attack the rim. With only Damion Lee between himself and the basket, Hardaway decided to embrace contact, create a little bit of space, and go up for a layup. While he missed, Hardaway was fouled and hit both of his attempts at the free throw line.
However, Hardaway stepped awkwardly on his left foot and couldn’t put weight on it. After the free throws, he was helped to the back for further examination.
Mavericks Tim Hardaway, Jr. came up hobbling on his left leg, hard to tell but it may have been injured on the plant as he was going up to the rim #MFFL pic.twitter.com/TED93C10LO
— Kevin Gray Jr. (@KevinGraySports) January 26, 2022
The team eventually announced that Hardaway suffered a fracture of the fifth metatarsal of his left foot, and that more will be announced regarding the extent of his injury soon.
Tim Hardaway Jr. suffered a fracture of the fifth metatarsal on his left foot in tonight’s game at Golden State. Updates will be given when available.
— Mavs PR (@MavsPR) January 26, 2022
According to In Street Clothes founder Jeff Stotts, we’ll learn more about a potential timeline when it’s eventually determined where the fracture occurred.
The nature and location of the break in fifth metatarsal fractures is key to recovery. According to my NBA injury database, the average time lost for in-season fifth metatarsal fractures is about 42 games (roughly 10 to 11 weeks).
— Jeff Stotts (@InStreetClothes) January 26, 2022
Hardaway opted to stay with the Mavericks this past offseason, agreeing to a $72 million contract with the franchise that acquired him in the trade with the New York Knicks that also brought Kristaps Porzingis to Dallas. Hardaway has averaged 14.3 points per game this season.
