Through the first two-plus months, of the season, the Dallas Mavericks have exceeded expectations, getting out to a 21-10 start that has them just a few games out of first place in the West, and in a good place to challenge for homecourt advantage. 

Unfortunately, they’re starting to deal with an injury bug that’s affecting some of their key players. Early in their primetime matchup with the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday night, Tim Hardaway Jr. stole a pass from Avery Bradley and streaked the other way for an easy slam. It seemed like an innocuous play, but as he made his way back down the floor, Hardaway Jr. started grimacing. He hobbled around for a bit and soon had to ask to come out of the game. 

After he made his way to the locker room, it didn’t take long for the Mavericks to announce that Hardaway Jr. would not be returning to the game. At this point, it’s obviously far too early to speculate about how serious Hardaway Jr.’s injury may be, but it probably isn’t a great sign that they announced he was out for the game so quickly. 

Even if Hardaway Jr. just has to miss a few games, though, this is still a tough blow for the Mavericks. While he’s not a household name in the same way that Doncic and Porzingis are, Hardaway Jr. has been a key player in Dallas this season. Since he’s moved into the starting lineup, he’s been putting up 16.9 points per game, and shooting 43.8 percent from three-point range over those 18 games.

Making things even worse for the Mavs is that Luka Doncic, their MVP candidate who just returned after missing almost two weeks with an ankle sprain, suffered a scary fall late in the first half against the Lakers. Thankfully, he will be available to return.