The Detroit Pistons blew a late lead to the Miami Heat on Monday night, allowing Miami to go on an 18-2 run over the final 5:39 of regulation to force overtime. All hope looked to be lost when the Heat started overtime on an 8-0 run to take command of the game. That’s when a former Dallas Maverick stepped up to the plate.

Tim Hardaway Jr. hit three consecutive triples in the span of a minute for the Pistons to give them a 123-122 lead, and they’d go on to win 125-124. Hardaway became the 11th player to score 9+ points in one minute of overtime play since 2000.

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Hardaway is averaging just 9.9 PPG and shooting 35.4% from three-point range this season. He started the season strong but was shooting 19.3% from deep in the 13 games before Monday’s 5/10 performance.

Dallas envisioned Hardaway Jr. as a key bench shooter for a title-contending team, but his inconsistencies and bad shot IQ sometimes stymied the offense. As much as his dad would blame it on Jason Kidd or Luka Doncic, Hardaway Jr. had a lot to do with the clunkiness of the offense over the last few years.

The Mavericks shipped off Hardaway Jr. and three second-round picks to the Pistons this offseason to bring in Quentin Grimes, which helped unload some salary and find a player who better fits the roster. Grimes is averaging 8.7 PPG while shooting a career-high 41.6% from three-point range this season, while also playing above-average defense.

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