JJ Barea had a funny moment toying with Dallas Mavericks fans at the end of the team’s 142-94 win over the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday night.
Barea has only played in one game this season as he returns from a torn Achilles tendon, mostly because of the depth Dallas has at the position. But with the Mavs up so big, there was some thought that Barea might see some garbage time action. At least that’s what the fans chanting “We Want JJ” were hoping for.
With just under three minutes left in the game, Barea, a fan-favorite, pretended to check into the game before running back to the bench. He got the fans’ hopes up and gave teammate Luka Doncic a laugh in the process.
Barea has only played in one game this season, which came when he scored 11 points in 16 minutes in a win over Orlando on November 6. Barea said he was dealing with an elbow injury and was only going to play if the team had an emergency situation, meaning fans will have to keep waiting.
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