Having spent much of the night putting on a clinic on how to efficiently hit high-degree-of-difficulty shots, Jaden Hardy wasn’t about to let the opportunity at an easy, fastbreak opportunity go unredeemed. Zipping the length of the floor to supply his teammate with an outlet option in an advantageous 2-on-1, the highflying second-year guard offers up the universal “throw it up” symbol before jetting through the air for an explosive two-handed alley-oop flush. Following the Dallas Mavericks’ lead in simply refusing to miss shots during their high-scoring, comeback win over the Orlando Magic, Hardy recorded 20 points — one of four Mavericks to exceed that plateau — missing just a single shot along the way. The catalyst for the second unit, Hardy also added seven assists, one steal, one block, and four 3-pointers to help knock off an interconference foe on January 29, 2024. · Jan 30, 2024