Tim Hardaway Jr struggles in Austin Spurs loss to Bighorns (Updated)

Turnovers and missed shots proved costly for the Austin Spurs on Saturday night in a 108-89 loss to the Reno Bighorns.

Tim Hardaway Jr continued his D-League assignment in the loss and finished with 12 points, four rebounds and two assists in 27 minutes off the bench. Like many of his teammates, Hardaway struggled to find his shot going 2-for-9 from the field with both makes coming from three-point range. He was 6-for-7 from the free throw line.

Even with the subpar performance on Saturday, This three-game D-League assignment was a step in the right direction for Hardaway who averaged 20.0 points, three rebounds and two assists over the three games. He shot 53 percent from the field and 48 percent from three-point range. He also continued to show a knack for getting to the free throw line where he was 13-for-15 over the three games.

There is a big gap between the NBA and the D-League in terms of competition, but this is just about the first positive step we have seen from Hardaway so far this season. Not only was he able to get on the court and log some minutes, he showed some efficiency while doing so.

The Hawks have yet to announce whether they will recall Hardaway or leave him down for another game. Austin will play again on Wednesday while the Hawks are in New York on Sunday and then return home to host the Knicks on Tuesday.

UPDATE

The Atlanta Hawks announced on Sunday that they have recalled Tim Hardaway Jr.