Preview: Hardaway hoping to sparkle against Bulls

CHICAGO – With family and friends attending Saturday’s game in Detroit between the Mavericks and Pistons, Tim Hardaway Jr. did what he does best.

He put on a show.

Hardaway finished with 17 points in just 18 minutes and was 6-of-13 from the floor — including 4-of-8 from beyond the three-point arc — as the Mavs prevailed, 142-124. It was a breakout game of sorts for Hardaway, who played his college basketball at the University of Michigan.

“I was playing in front of my family and friends and people who I went to school with, so it’s always good when you’re in sort of a slump just to have your loved ones and peers around you,” Hardaway told Mavs.com. “It was great to see them instead of just talking to them on the phone via text.

“My sister, niece, parents and people that worked with the Michigan basketball program when he was there (were at the game). It was cool to see the old faces and former teammates.”

Hardaway went into Saturday’s game in somewhat of a slump. But he buried three three-pointers in the third quarter, including one at the buzzer to end that 12-minute session.

“It shows that your teammates trust you in those situations,” Hardaway said. “They know I’m a shooter, so getting the ball on time and on target is definitely a key, especially when a guy like myself or a shooter is struggling just to see a decent one go in.

“Also, just making sure that I pick and choose my spots while I was out there on the court.”

Hardaway hopes to have another solid game when the Mavs battle the Chicago Bulls on Monday at 7 p.m. at the United Center.

“I’m just going to keep that confidence that I’ve always had,” he said. “I’ve never, I would say, truly lost it throughout this whole time.

“I’m going to keep shooting it regardless of the outcome. Just making sure that I see a few go in here and there would definitely help. Most importantly, as long as we’re winning, that’s all I care about.”

And in order to defeat the Bulls, Hardaway knows the Mavs have to pay close attention to DeMar DeRozan, Coby White and Nikola Vucevic.

“White is out there playing his tail off, DeMar is going to do his thing – go out there and pump-fake you to death and try to get you off your feet and trying to get to the free throw line. And Vuc is a pick-and-pop big who can also destroy you in the short roll playing in that pocket area, so we’ve got our work cut out for us.

“We’ve got to go out there and match their intensity and match their effort and try to go out there and do the best we can when the opportunity presents itself to capitalize.”

*This is the finale of a short two-game trip that started with Saturday’s 142-124 win over the Detroit Pistons. After Monday’s game against Chicago, the Mavs start a critical three-game stretch where they’ll host the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday in the first leg of a back-to-back. In the second leg of a back-to-back on Thursday, the Mavs will play the Thunder in Oklahoma City. And on Sunday, the Mavs will entertain the defending NBA champion Denver Nuggets.

*For the Bulls, the game against Dallas is the only one on this home stand before they hit the road to play the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday. The Bulls have won three of their past four games, including a 113-109 victory in Sacramento on March 4, and a 125-122 victory at the Golden State Warriors last Thursday.

*Not that he hadn’t done it for most of this season, but Mavs point guard Luka  Dončić has set the NBA world on fire. Dončić enters Monday’s game with a pair of all-time NBA records still active. After he scored 39 points, snatched 10 rebounds and dispensed 10 assists Saturday against Detroit, Dončić  now has an NBA-record of six consecutive 30-point triple-doubles. He also has an NBA-record of five consecutive 35-point triple-doubles.

*DeMar DeRozan (23.2 ppg), Coby White (19.7 ppg, 5.3 apg), Nikola Vucevic (18.2 ppg, 10.7 rpg), Ayo Dosunmu (10.8 ppg) and Patrick Williams (10 ppg) are the main leaders for the Bulls.

*One of the more decorated players in the NBA, Luka  Dončić leads the league in scoring (34.7), is second in three-pointers made per game (3.9), third in assists (9.8) and eighth in steals (1.5).

*For the Mavs, rookie center Dereck Lively II will be active after missing Saturday’s game for personal reasons.

DALLAS MAVERICKS (36-28) at CHICAGO BULLS (31-33)

When: 7 p.m., Monday

Where: United Center, Chicago

TV: WFAA, UniMás

Radio: 97.1 FM The Freak; 99.1 FM Zona MX (Spanish)

X: @DwainPrice