NEW YORK -- The Mavericks will visit two of Dirk Nowitzki's favorite NBA arenas on this quick trip east, and he's hoping the Gardens will be fertile ground for him and Harrison Barnes to replant the seeds of their on-court chemistry.
Nowitzki has missed three games with a sore right Achilles and all that did was allow Barnes to continue to blossom offensively. He's doing a pretty fair Nowitzki imitation through eight games, averaging 22.6 points and 6.1 rebounds.
He has done a lot of that damage without Nowitzki alongside him.
The Mavericks are thrilled with the way Barnes has aggressively stepped into the role of go-to guy.