Looking to move to 4-0 on their current five-game homestand and beginning a rare home-home back-to-back that concludes Saturday night against Phoenix, the Mavericks (27-36) will gladly welcome back Barea following his lengthy layoff. The Mavs also hope the undersized guard can once again contribute in the second unit, looking for Barea to make up for lost time against the Nets (11-52) in front of the hometown fans. And although Barea is expected to be under a heavy minute restriction after battling back from his season-long calf issues, he vows to make an immediate impact with energetic play.
“I’m excited to be back,” Barea said after going through the Mavericks’ Thursday practice.