The Detroit Pistons salvaged an overtime win against the Miami Heat after blowing a big lead and going down early in the extra time.
They were saved by Tim Hardaway Jr., who hit 3-point shots on three consecutive possessions after Duncan Robinson had score to put the Heat up eight in overtime, a lead I did not think they would relinquish.
It was a typical game for the Pistons in many ways, as they looked sharp at times and built an early lead, but coughed it up as usual.
It was also a typical game for Tim Hardaway Jr. in many ways, as he looked like he might shoot the Pistons out of the game at times and then ended up winning the game with that same shot.
It’s also been indicative of his last few seasons, a fact that Mavericks fans know all too well.
Tim Hardaway Jr. is super streaky
All volume 3-point shooters miss plenty of shots, that’s the nature of lot of attempts and the fact that even the best 3-point shooters miss most of the time.
THJ is shooting 35 percent from long range on the season, not great, and his 9.9 points per game are the second-lowest of his career.
Hitting 35 percent when you are shooting more than seven a game adds up, and is part of the reason that THJ was run out of Dallas. They needed someone who was more consistent and Hardaway Jr. is far from that.
He’s all or nothing on most nights, as he’s had eight games this season in which he hit three or more 3-pointers, with the Pistons winning half of those games.
But he’s had 11 games where he’s made zero or one shot from beyond the arc, and there’s been much more of that lately.
In the first 12 games of the season, THJ averaged 12.5 points per game on 46.5 shooting from the field and 45.7 from long range.
In the last 12 games, those numbers have dropped to 7.3 points per game, 35 percent shooting from the floor and just 22.8 percent from the 3-point line.
Mavs fans are nodding their heads, as THJ had several stretches like this for them last season. He was red-hot in the first couple of months but fell off the map in the last couple. His shooting went from a huge plus to a huge minus, as you can’t have a guy chucking 7-8 from long range every game if he’s not making them.
We even saw some of this streakiness within the last game, as THJ had shot just 2-of-7 in regulation before hitting three in overtime that bolstered his numbers on the night. Five of 10 looks great in the box score, but it would have been another rough night had the game not gone to OT.
All volume shooters are streaky to some degree, but guys like Malik Beasley tend not to stay in bad streaks for too long, which is why he shoots over 41 percent from long range and THJ is below league average.
Hopefully the last game against the Heat will set off another hot streak, as the Pistons need his shooting, but if he continues shooting 22 percent from long range as he has in the last dozen games, JB Bickerstaff may have to make some changes.