Backup Barea sparks Mavs to rout of Kings

 Puerto Rico native J.J. Barea scored 17 of his career-high 25 points in a blistering first half Saturday night as the host Mavericks routed the winless Sacramento Kings, 123-102.

 Josh Howard scored 27 points in his season debut and Nowitzki added 24 in just 30 minutes for Dallas, which bounced back strongly from Friday's surprising loss at Atlanta. The Mavericks shot 65 per cent (45-of-69) from the field and made 26-of-29 free throws.

 In Friday's loss, Barea scored 14 points in just nine minutes as he picked up the slack for starter Devin Harris, who suffered a bruised thigh and did not play in the second half.

 When Harris could not go in Saturday's home opener, Barea got the start and made the most of it. The second-year point guard made 9-of-11 shots, including 4-of-4 3-pointers, and handed out five assists.

 "I am so happy right now," Barea said. "I did my job and got the win. I went out there and I wanted to do my best and it worked out fine. Sometimes I shoot it, sometimes I pass. I felt like I had some open looks and it worked out."

   With encouragement from Harris, Barea sank consecutive 3-pointers midway through the first quarter, giving Dallas a 22-8 lead. In the first half, he made 6-of-8 shots and surpassed his previous career high of 16 vs. Utah late last season.

 "(Harris) told me that I needed to play the entire game like I played last night," Barea said. "He really helped me out and gave me a lot of good advice as the night went on."

   "(Barea) had a nice game, got off to a pretty good start," Mavericks coach Avery Johnson said. "I was expecting him to play well. He had a decent preseason and he was one of our few bright spots last night."

   Dallas shot 68 per cent (26-of-38) and raced to a 73-56 halftime lead as Sacramento managed just eight rebounds. Nowitzki scored 18 points on 7-of-8 shooting and Howard added 15 on 5-of-9.

 Howard was making his season debut. The All-Star forward was suspended for the first two games of the season for his part in an altercation with Sacramento's Brad Miller in the preseason, but there were no incidents in this game.

 "Josh helps us out tremendously when he's on the court because even if he's not getting the ball, he's drawing a lot of attention," Johnson said.

 The Kings got no closer than 13 points in the second half. Barea closed the third quarter with a 3-pointer, then opened the final period with another shot from the arc and a bucket, giving the Mavericks a 106-83 advantage.

 "Everyone's in the league for a reason, and he proved tonight why he belongs here," Kings guard Kevin Martin said.

 Jason Terry scored 16 points and rookie Brandon Bass added 11 for Dallas, which has beaten Sacramento six straight times.

 "We have a lot of offensive weapons," Terry said. "We can draw a defence and kick to find somebody open. That is what we were doing so well tonight."

   Martin scored 28 points and John Salmons added a career-high 27 for the Kings (0-3), who have dug themselves big holes in the first half of all three of their games. They are being outscored by an average of 17 points per game.

 "We've got to find a way to get it together at the beginning so we won't have these moral victories in the second half," Martin said. "That's not what we're trying to achieve right now."

Houston 89, Portland 80

   Chinese superstar Yao Ming collected 21 points and 12 rebounds and Tracy McGrady scored 20 points to help the host Rockets improve to 3-0 for the first time in 11 years. Brandon Roy scored 23 points for Portland, which is 0-3 for the first time since 1986.

Milwaukee 78, Chicago 72

   Michael Redd scored 27 points and Chinese rookie Yi Jianlian added 16 as the Bucks won their home opener and kept the Bulls (0-3) winless. Ben Gordon scored 15 points for Chicago.

Utah 133, Golden State 110

   Deron Williams had 30 points and 11 assists for the host Jazz, who made a club-record 12 3-pointers and scored their most points in nearly 10 years. Turkey's Mehmet Okur scored 28 points and Russia's Andrei Kirilenko added 15 for Utah. Al Harrington scored 38 points for winless Golden State (0-3).

 Orlando 94, Washington 82

   Turkey's Hedo Turkoglu scored 25 points, including nine straight in the fourth quarter to help the Magic pull away and drop the host Wizards to 0-3 for the first time in 15 years. All-Star Gilbert Arenas was limited to 10 points for Washington.

 Indiana 121, Memphis 111

   Mike Dunleavy Jr. scored 27 points to lead six players in double figures as the surprising Pacers improved to 3-0. Spanish star Pau Gasol had 18 points and 10 rebounds for the winless Grizzlies (0-3). New Jersey 93, Philadelphia 88

   Jason Kidd had 16 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists for his 88th career triple-double as the Nets bounced back from Friday's embarrassing 37-point home loss to Toronto and spoiled Philadelphia's home opener. Andre Iguodala scored 16 points for the 76ers.

DPA