In a nutshell
The Mavericks have a tricky, clever, deadly-shooting guard who torched the Celtics tonight in Dallas, and he was absolutely the difference in propelling the Mavs to a 113-104 win.
Oh, you thought it was super-rookie Luka Doncic. No. We’re talking about J.J. Barea, a 6-foot-nothing, 34-year-old guard who wouldn’t scare anyone if he walked onto a court at your local playground. But he killed the Cs with 20 points (double his season average) on 9-16 shooting (several of them daggers) with eight assists.
It was a chippy game all night, with Barea and Terry Rozier banging into each other repeatedly in the first half to set the tone.