Game 29: Mavs at Trail Blazers

PORTLAND — Despite getting a brief boost from the return of backup guard J.J. Barea during Monday night’s game in Denver, the Dallas Mavericks would fail to capitalize on an early double-digit lead on the road.Leading by as many as 16 during Monday night’s outing, the Mavericks (7-21) would eventually fail victim to their tired legs while completing a difficult back-to-back that began with Sunday’s 99-79 win at home over Sacramento. The Mavs also couldn’t sustain their success after Barea met a strict minute restriction with 11 points, three rebounds and four assists in less than 13 minutes during his first outing since going down Nov. 16 with a left calf strain. And although Barea seemingly didn’t skip a beat during his lengthy layoff, the Mavericks suffered a difficult 117-107 defeat to begin a four-game stretch on the road.

…