JJ stepping up

The loss of Devin Harris meant extra work for JJ Barea and the second-year point guard delivered. Barea (14 points in nine minutes) drove the ball with reckless abandon, jitterbugging to the basket repeatedly for layups. He could be on the floor plenty against the Kings.

“This was great for my confidence,” Barea said. “If Devin is going to be out, it’s an opportunity I have to take advantage of.”

Avery Johnson isn’t afraid of using Barea, even if he can’t pronounce his last name. (It comes across more like Ba-rer-ra.) JJ logged four first-half minutes at Cleveland, a strategy Johnson concocted to steal a few extra minutes of rest for Harris and Terry.