The San Antonio Spurs know they need Tony Parker in their lineup to be successful.
The Dallas Mavericks are quickly learning they need Jose Juan Barea in theirs.
Averaging 20 points in his first two starts, Barea will look to help lead the Mavericks to their fifth straight win and 10th in 11 games on Tuesday against the visiting Spurs, who are coming off a pair of blowout victories keyed by Parker.
Barea had 15 points off the bench in a win over the Los Angeles Clippers last Tuesday, and was even better after joining the starting lineup for the next two games. He had 18 points in a 112-97 win over Phoenix on Thursday, and a season-high 22 in a 100-98 victory against Atlanta on Saturday.
Barea's 16 third-quarter points matched Atlanta's output for the period as Dallas (11-8) turned a two-point halftime deficit into a 15-point lead heading into the fourth quarter.
"It's just been great just being out there with the guys,'' said Barea, who had 24 total points in the team's first 12 games. "Winning has been the most important thing. My confidence gets higher and higher.''
Dallas has won nine of 10 games and is 7-1 without Howard, who averages 20.3 points but has been sidelined because of a sprained left ankle. Howard and Wright could both return against the Spurs (11-8), but even when those two come back, coach Rick Carlisle has seen enough to keep Barea in the crowded mix for playing time.
"I'm a believer that anything is possible,'' Carlisle said of Barea's emergence. "Would I have predicted it? No.''
San Antonio split two meetings in Dallas last season despite woeful shooting from Parker, who averaged 10.0 points on 15.6 percent (5-for-32) from the field.
