Dallas Mavericks: J.J. Barea sprains ankle in win over Pacers

Dallas Mavericks guard J.J. Barea sprained his ankle and did not return in the win over the Indiana Pacers on Feb. 3. Get the latest here.

The Dallas Mavericks wanted to make it two straight wins on Monday evening. They were out on the road against the Indiana Pacers. It was a showdown between two projected playoff teams.

The Mavs were light in the backcourt coming into the game. Luka Doncic has been ruled out for at least the rest of this week with a sprained ankle. Seth Curry was also sidelined with a knee injury.

Matters only got worse on Monday evening. J.J. Barea suffered an ankle injury in the second quarter. He was quickly ruled out for the rest of the game. Barea finished with three points and one turnover in nine minutes of action.

The Mavericks only had three healthy guards in the second half. Jalen Brunson and Delon Wright handled the point guard duties. Tim Hardaway Jr. was the only other traditional guard that played. Coach Rick Carlisle relied on Ryan Broekhoff and Justin Jackson to handle the remaining minutes at the two.

It did not slow the Mavs down. They pulled away in the second half to earn a 112-103 victory in Indiana behind a monster 38-point night from Kristaps Porzingis.

Barea optimistic about the injury

Eddie Sefko shared the following update about Barea’s injury after the game.

Hopefully, the veteran guard is ready for Wednesday’s game. The Mavericks are back home against the Memphis Grizzlies. It kicks off three straight games against teams at or below .500. Dallas needs to capitalize on that favorable stretch.

Barea has been outstanding this season. Carlisle limits his playing time. That has allowed him to maximize his production. Barea is averaging 9.3 points and 3.8 assists in 15.9 minutes per game.

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