Rookie sensation Luka Doncic put on a show for the Mavs on Friday night in their 119-115 win against the Timberwolves, dropping 29 points, 12 assists, and eight rebounds and hitting multiple clutch shots down the stretch that once again showcased a premier talent playing well beyond his years.
The win pulled Dallas to within three games of the eighth and final playoff spot in the West, a rather enviable position to be in given the tempered expectations headed into the season.
But it wasn’t all good news. Midway through the fourth quarter, J.J. Barea went down hard after a drive to the basket, immediately clutching what appeared to be his right Achilles tendon. He eventually had to be helped to locker room and did not return.
https://twitter.com/TomerAzarly/status/1083923924084088833
Mavs fans feared the worst, given his reaction, and now it appears the preliminary prognosis confirms those fears, although nothing has been made official yet.
Source: The Mavericks believe J.J. Barea tore his right Achilles tendon. Barea, 34, a longtime Dallas fan favorite who played a key role on the 2011 title team, is averaging 10.9 points and 5.6 assists as the Mavs' sixth man this season.
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) January 12, 2019
Barea had put up 16 points, seven assists, and four rebounds in just over 21 minutes of action for the Mavs on Friday night before going down with an injury, which was well above his season averages of 10.5 points and 5.5 assists per game so far this year coming of the bench for Dallas.
