Michigan Basketball: Hot starts for Wolverines in NBA playoffs

While the team results were mixed for former Michigan basketball players in the NBA playoffs, both Tim Hardaway Jr. and Duncan Robinson started strong. 

If there was any doubt about why former Michigan basketball standout Duncan Robinson is about to get paid this offseason, he reminded people on Saturday in the opening round of the NBA playoffs.

Robinson, who plays for the Miami Heat, knocked down three 3-pointers in the first few minutes of the game against the Bucks on his way to seven makes total from beyond the arc in a double-overtime loss for sixth-seeded Miami.

The former Wolverine attempted all 13 of his shots from beyond the arc. He was also 3-for-3 from the free-throw line and finished with 24 points. Miami upset Milwaukee last season but will need a win in Game two, otherwise, that will be a tall task to repeat.

Tim Hardaway Jr. helps lead Dallas to victory

When Michigan basketball players in the NBA are mentioned, Hardaway’s name isn’t mentioned often enough. However, that might finally start to change with more performances like the one he had one Saturday as the Dallas Mavericks took a game off the Clippers.

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Hardaway averaged 16.6 points per game during the regular season and like Robinson, he was hot from downtown Saturday.

Luka Doncic stole the show in the win for Dallas as he wound up with a triple-double, scoring 31 points, dishing out 11 assists, and grabbing 10 rebounds. But Hardaway helped set the tone by knocking down his first two shots from the perimeter.

The former Wolverine wound up scoring 21 points in the win for the Mavericks and he finished 8-of-13 from the field overall, as well as 5-for-9 from 3-point range. Over the past two seasons, Hardaway’s 3-point consistency has been a huge part of his success and he’s fresh off back-to-back seasons making 39 percent of his attempts.

Trey Burke is also on the Mavericks roster but he didn’t see any minutes in the 113-103 win over the fourth-seeded Clippers. Jordan Poole and the Warriors were knocked out of the playoffs, following their loss to Memphis on Saturday.

Robinson, Hardaway Jr., and Burke are the only former Wolverines left.