Dallas — It was almost five in the morning on Saturday when Jordan Hawkins finally fell asleep.
BRAKING Jordan Hawkins’ finest night of his career aids the desperate Pelicans in their valiant victory over the Mavs.
A little after 8 p.m. on Friday, the Pelicans and Denver Nuggets tip off. They had almost fifteen hours until their next game started by the time they finished the game, took a forty-minute bus ride to the airport, waited for their jet to de-ice, and landed in Dallas.
Saying, “We’re hoopers,” Hawkins “It makes no difference what time we arrive.”
Hawkins, a 21-year-old rookie that the New Orleans Pelicans selected with the 14th pick in June, has not been phased by the adjustment to NBA life.
Hawkins scored a career-high 34 points in the 118-108 victory against the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday. On a night like this, his clutch shooting helped the Pelicans (24-16) win.
Hawkins clarified, “I was just playing basketball.” Early in the season, I had a lot of opportunities to play. I wasn’t really anxious. I decided to hoopstoop and demonstrate my abilities. Not Trey, BI, Z, or CJ. I was aware that there would be shootings. All I had to do was make them.
Hawkins made six 3-pointers in a row. Though his greatest strength is his ability to make quick-trigger threes, he is more than just an outside shooter. Fearing an outside shot from him, the Mavericks started to run Hawkins off the 3-point line. Hawkins made two shots at the basket, three mid-range jumpers, and six of eight free throws from the free throw line.
“I look at myself as a scorer,” Hawkins added. “I can do well on all three levels. If they want to, they can cut me off from the line. I am aware that I can draw up in the middle or all the way to the rim.
Hawkins had previously surpassed the 30-point mark in his professional career before this past Saturday. He scored thirty-one points in a game in Denver early in November.
With 6:43 left in the game, Hawkins made a deep three to tie his previous career high. The Mavericks double-teamed Jonas Valanciunas in the post, which helped Hawkins. Hawkins, who the Mavericks regretted leaving behind, was spotted by Valanciunas and made a 27-footer.
Hawkins recorded a new career high at the free-throw line with 3:54 remaining.
The 14-point scorer Valanciunas described himself as a “young player.” He has nothing planned yet. He needs to keep getting better. However, he is heading in the correct way. He’s putting in work. If he keeps shooting like that, he’ll be among the best. He makes me happy, though. He’s one of the best players on the team.
When the teams play again on Monday, the Pelicans will attempt to seal up the regular-season series against the Mavericks. There won’t be as many shots as there were for Hawkins. Murphy, McCollum, Williamson, and Ingram are anticipated to participate.
This season, Hawkins’ playing time has fluctuated because to New Orleans’ depth. In the team’s rout of the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday, he scored fourteen points, but two nights later in Denver, he didn’t play until garbage time.
The Pelicans’ coach, Willie Green, admitted that it has been challenging to decide how to allocate minutes.
“He (Hawkins) is a hooper,” Green remarked. What we are witnessing is that. His strategy is that he wants to have fun. Every time he has the chance, he demonstrates that. He is making my job harder. That’s what you desire. You want guys that push you and who come in every day with the intention of improving.
GET MORE NEWS HERE