Barnes, Barea lead Mavs to first win, 86-75 over Bucks

 

Though Dirk Nowitzki remains sidelined with a sore Achilles, there is small joy inside Dallas once again as the Mavericks are no longer winless after snapping their five-game losing skid in overtime against the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday.

 

Playing without Nowitzki, Devin Harris and Deron Williams, the Mavs rallied behind a youthful cast of characters which included big-time minutes for players like rookie Dorian Finney-Smith. His defensive performance forced three steals and a block along with key defensive stops in the fourth quarter and overtime, drawing attention from head coach Rick Carlisle.

 

Rick Carlisle says the @dallasmavs gave the game ball to Dorian Finney-Smith. "Frankly, we wouldn't have won the game without him."

— Earl K. Sneed (@EarlKSneed) November 7, 2016

 

Finney-Smith logged 32 minutes off the bench in the victory, taking primary duties from Justin Anderson early in the second quarter. J.J. Barea, Wes Matthews (shot 3-for-17, 3-for-14 from three) and Harrison Barnes each logged at least 40 minutes in the overtime victory, with different results in terms of productivity. Barnes, a key offseason acquisition for Dallas, led all scorers with a career-high 34 points along with 8 rebounds. His performance marks the second time in six games the forward has totaled a new career-high in scoring. J.J. Barea added 21 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists, including a pair of baskets during a 12-1 run in overtime that helped the Mavs put Milwaukee away for good.

 

HIGHLIGHTS: @hbarnes led all scorers with 34 points as the Mavs outscored the Bucks 12-1 in OT to win 86-75! pic.twitter.com/1DfdegR7Ts

— Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) November 7, 2016

 

UP NEXT:

 

A west coast trip is on the horizon for Barnes and Co. as the Mavs are preparing to travel to California. First up, they’ll square off at 9:30 p.m. CST on Tuesday against a young, energetic Los Angeles Lakers bunch that is discovering an identity under new head coach Luke Walton.