Sefko: Even in a throwaway loss to Oklahoma City, J.J. Barea left his mark on the Thunder

OKLAHOMA CITY -- At halftime of the Mavericks' 108-89 loss to the Thunder, a video on the big screen showed stuff you can't do at NBA arenas.

No throwing objects. No entering the court. No obscene gestures or language - all transgressions that can lead to an ejection.

Heck, J.J. Barea did at least two of those three and was still around in the second half.

Not so much for Oklahoma City's Russell Westbrook.

A heated exchange between Barea and Westbrook helped spice up what honestly turned out to be a throwaway game for the Mavericks. Dirk Nowitzki, Chandler Parsons, Wesley Matthews and Deron Williams all rested and Zaza Pachulia was out with a sore right Achilles.

When Devin Harris left with a minor foot problem and Charlie Villanueva was ejected, the Mavericks were down to eight players.

Barea, more than any of them, left his mark.

He got tangled up with Westbrook with 5:17 to play in the second quarter and a lengthy delay ensued as players pushed and shoved and posed and basically tried to act tough without really inflicting any damage. But Villanueva got ejected.

That it happened when NBA executive vice president of basketball operations Kiki Vandeweghe was sitting in the stands made it all the more interesting. He's in charge of reviewing all incidents that happen on the court.

He'll have a busy Thursday.

The game was interrupted again in the third quarter for scuffle between JaVale McGee and Thunder center Steven Adams. The sideline review took several minutes to sort through.

But Barea's fracas with Westbrook was the most compelling moment. The two flailed arms. Barea threw a backhanded swipe. Naughty words were clearly exchanged.

"It was a post-up, got physical, just a regular foul and then he threw his arms and went a little crazy after that," Barea said. "I wasn't backing down. He started pushing, I started grabbing and he grabbed me and he flared his arms."

A few minutes later, Barea was defending Westbrook as he dribbled downcourt and drew a flying arm from the OKC star. The refs called a quick second technical foul and Westbrook was automatically ejected for the two techs.

"Same thing," Barea said. "I fouled him and he went crazy and threw his arms all over the place."

After that, Barea got booed every time he touched the ball.

"I got no problem with it," he said. "I know deep down they like me here in Oklahoma. But it's OK if they want to boo me."

It was all good theater on a night that the Mavericks tried to get by with their deep reserves but were drop-kicked by the talented Thunder.

And the Mavericks, even in a huge loss, managed to send the message that they won't take guff from anybody, even in a shorthanded state.

"He's a walking, breathing, stubborn competitor," coach Rick Carlisle said of Barea. "That's why he's been a terrific 10-year player in this league. He's not going to back down. And the bigger the moment and challenge, the more he's going to rise to it. But I think we got a team of competitors.

Carlisle also was pleased with the way the Mavericks cut a 29-point lead down to 83-69, forcing the Thunder to come back with their starters to finish it off.

The Mavericks simply didn't have enough firepower.

Regardless of the circumstances, the Mavericks have started their stretch of five games against playoff teams 0-2 and now head to Chicago, then San Antonio, to end this road trip.

With such a shortage of manpower, the Mavericks had a chance to learn a lot of things about some of their supporting cast.

Here's the short version:

They found out Justin Anderson is like every other rookie and has zero chance of matching up against Kevin Durant. He got burned badly on three consecutive possessions as the Thunder pulled away in the second quarter.

It was proven beyond any doubt that the Mavericks have trouble rebounding when they don't have Pachulia and Nowitzki on the court. Even with little-used Salah Mejri getting a near double-double with nine boards, they were humiliated on the glass.

And, of course, the game showed that Barea continues to be one of the NBA's toughest little pests.