Dallas Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle says point guard J.J. Barea has a lower leg injury and will get an MRI on Saturday.

Barea grabbed his right leg after hitting a tough layup in traffic over Minnesota Timberwolves point guard Jeff Teague. The 6-foot guard needed help getting to the locker room.

Everyone in Dallas is praying for J.J. Barea. Hopefully, the scoring guard didn't suffer an Achilles tear because he would be out for the season if that was the case.

Barea finished with 16 points and seven assists before he exited the game on Friday against the Timberwolves. The Mavs defeated Minnesota by a final score of 119-115 to improve to 20-22 on the season and 4-18 on the road.

The 34-year-old Barea is an important player for Dallas, more so than ever right now since Mavs starting point guard Dennis Smith Jr. is out with a back ailment. Barea entered Friday averaging 10.8 points, 2.5 rebounds and 5.5 assists per contest. He is by far one of the best backup point guards in the NBA.

Let's hope that J.J. Barea didn't tear his Achilles or suffer a serious long-term injury. The Mavs as a team are so much more fun to watch when Barea is playing and leading the second unit.