J.J. Barea scored a season-high 23 points tonight, tying for his most in a game since April 3, 2016. He had 20 points in the first half and hit 5 of 7 3-pointers for the game.
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His finest pass, though, came off a straight line drive to the rim.
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With Donovan Mitchell cheating off of Dorian Finney-Smith in the corner to help clog the lane, Barnes’ drive looked dead as soon as he put the ball on the floor. But he kept going just long enough to ensure Finney-Smith would be open, and then Barnes found him with a nice on-target pass for an open 3-pointer. That’s the kind of thing the Mavs would love to see more of from their leading scorer. Barnes can always find room to create his own shots, but if he can consistently find ways to use his vision and influence to create good shots for others, that’s when your game rises to a whole new level.
The Mavs (22-50) will play the Charlotte Hornets (32-41) on Saturday at American Airlines Center at 7:30 p.m. Central.
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