Hardy missed nearly three weeks in December because of a right ankle injury. His newfound consistency since returning resulted in a season-high 25 points

It was a short-handed Southwestern Division matchup between the Dallas Mavericks and New Orleans Pelicans, as Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving, Dereck Lively II, Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram, and Herb Jones were among the key players out on both sides.

The Dallas Mavericks played the fourth and final matchup of the season against the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday night, with an early start time due to inclement weather in the Dallas area. Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving remain out for the Mavs, but they did get Daniel Gafford back already.

That decision forced the Thunder to stick close to the Mavericks' role players throughout the first quarter. Once Washington scored the first five points, Irving asserted himself and drained a 3-pointer before finishing at the basket with a finger roll to give the Mavericks an early 10-0 lead.

Inconsistency is about the only consistent theme of the Dallas Mavericks’ injury-riddled season. The Mavericks began most of the new year with the task of playing without Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.

Kyrie Irving scored 25 points, Spencer Dinwiddie and P.J. Washington Jr. added 16 apiece and the Dallas Mavericks beat Oklahoma City 106-98 as Thunder All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander missed his first game of the season.

There's no doubt that the Mavericks are proving to be a legitimate contender in the Western Conference, when their superstar trio is healthy.

The Dallas Mavericks are in title contention this season but have unfortunately dealt with injuries to Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving as the role players try to steer the ship until the stars return.

With it being halfway through the season, let's hand out some mid-season report cards to each player. These will be in alphabetical order if you're looking to skip to certain players. Grades will given out relative to expectations and two-way players will not be represented.

But this was one of those eyebrow-raising moments that gives even more credence to the belief that referees should be fined for missed calls or poor judgment. New Orleans had the ball with around 15 seconds on the clock and a one-point lead.

Dejounte Murray lit the Mavericks up for 30 points, and Trey Murphy III wasn't far behind with 24. Neither was entirely efficient from the floor, but they made enough shots to sink the Mavs. Dallas' starters just weren't good enough, which is where we'll start our three takeaways.

The Dallas Mavericks played the second game of back-to-back games against the New Orleans Pelicans at the Smoothie King Center on Wednesday night. The Mavericks lost to the Pelicans 119-116.