Tar Heels in NBA: Barnes has Kings surging, other teams targeting him for a trade; Green hits 16, moves up all-time 3-pointers list

By R.L. Bynum

There are a lot of reasons why the Sacramento Kings have fought back from a 5–10 start to nearly reach .500. One of them has been the consistent play of Harrison Barnes.

Barnes contributed 24 points, five rebounds and six assists to lead the 10–11 Kings to a 116–111 home victory Wednesday over the Boston Celtics. During Sacramento’s streak of five wins in six games, Barnes has at least 19 points in five of those games.

“We’re trying to get better every day,” Barnes said. “We learned a lot in those first couple of games. We felt like we were better than how we were playing.”

Barnes has at least 20 points in 10 of the Kings’ 21 games and, as always, is a tough defender.

“That’s the biggest thing we’ve learned this season. We’re not going to outscore people,” Barnes said. “Defensively, that is what has to be our hallmark. In games where we choose to defend and we choose to lock in on that, we do pretty well. In the games we don’t, it gets ugly.”

The Celtics are expected to be buyers at the trade deadline because of the $28 million trade exception they gained when Gordon Hayward left for Charlotte. Some consider Barnes a trade target and one Celtics blogger implored general manager Danny Ainge to trade for Barnes.

There’s something about facing the Charlotte Hornets that ignites Danny Green’s offense.

Green scored 16 points and made four 3-pointers in a 118–111 victory in Charlotte. Three of Green’s six best scoring games this season have come against the Hornets after he scored 13 in two earlier wins over Charlotte.

Green passed Baron Davis, who played for the first iteration of the Charlotte Hornets, for 46th on the all-time NBA 3-pointers list with 1,334. Next on the list for Green, who has 51 this season, at No. 45 is Dan Majerle, who made 1,360.

The highest Tar Heel on the list is Vince Carter at No. 5 with 2,290 3-pointers. Others in the top 150 are Antawn Jamison (No. 79, 1,164), Rasheed Wallace (No. 94, 1,086), Wayne Ellington (No. 101, 1,066), Marvin Williams (No. 105, 1,046), Jerry Stackhouse (No. 123, 988) and Raymond Felton (No. 148, 925).

Tony Bradley didn’t play for Philadelphia.

In a battle of Tar Heels, Reggie Bullock’s New York Knicks beat Coby White’s host Chicago Bulls 107–103. Bullock had nine points and four rebounds while Theo Pinson didn’t play for the Knicks.

White, who collected 13 points, six assists and only two turnovers for the Bulls, has an even more interesting matchup with a former Tar Heel this weekend.

When Chicago visits the Orlando Magic for 7 p.m. games Friday and Saturday, it will feature Carolina’s previous two starting point guards in the White and the Magic’s Cole Anthony. Neither game is on national television.

Elsewhere Wednesday, Justin Jackson had four points and five rebounds in Oklahoma City’s 104–87 home win over Houston and Cameron Johnson contributed eight points and four rebounds in Phoenix’s 123–101 home loss to New Orleans.

Nassir Little, who scored 30 points Monday at Milwaukee, is expected to miss his second consecutive game with a left knee injury when his Portland Trail Blazers visit Philadelphia on Thursday night.

How Tar Heels did Wednesday, what’s ahead

Cole Anthony, Orlando Magic guard
No game
Season statistics
— 21 games, 10.8 points, 4.4 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 36.2FG%, 31.9%3P, 85.7FT
Up next — Friday vs. Chicago, 7 p.m.; Saturday vs. Chicago, 7 p.m.
Harrison Barnes, Sacramento Kings guard
116–111 win vs. Boston —
Started; 37 minutes, 24 points, 7–17 FG, 1–7 3FG, 9–10 FT, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 block,1 turnover, +9, 19.9 game score
Season statistics — 21 games, 17.2 points, 6.2 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 49.8FG%, 41.3%3P, 86.5FT%
Up next — Saturday vs. Denver, 5 p.m., NBATV; Sunday at Los Angeles Clippers, 3 p.m.
Tony Bradley, Philadelphia Sixers center/forward
118–111 win at Charlotte —
Didn’t play
Season statistics
— 8 games, 4.6 points, 6.3 rebounds, 0.8 of an assist, 50.0 FG%, 0–0 3FG, 3–5 FT
Up next —
Thursday vs. Portland, 8 p.m.; Saturday vs. Brooklyn, 8 p.m.
Reggie Bullock, New York Knicks guard/forward
107–103 win at Chicago —
Started; 27 minutes, 9 points, 4–7 FG, 1–3 3FG, 4 rebounds, 2 turnovers, +2, 4.5 game score
Season statistics —
18 games, 8.1 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 38.7FG%, 34.2%3P, 75.0FT%
Up next — Saturday vs. Portland, 1 p.m.; Sunday vs. Miami, 1 p.m.
Ed Davis, Minnesota Timberwolves center/forward
111–108 loss at San Antonio — Didn’t play
Season statistics — 17 games, 2.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.0 assist, 40.5G%, 0–0 3FG, 87.4FT%
Up next —Friday at Oklahoma City, 8 p.m.; Saturday at Oklahoma City, 8 p.m.
Wayne Ellington, Detroit Pistons guard
No game
Season statistics —
15 games, 12.5 points, 2.1 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 51.6FG%, 50.5 3P%, 72.7FT%
Up next — Friday at Phoenix, 9 p.m.; Saturday at Los Angeles Lakers, 10 p.m.
Danny Green, Philadelphia 76ers forward
118–111 win at Charlotte —
Started; 31 minutes, 16 points, 6–9 FG, 4–7 3FG, 0–1 FT, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 2 steals, 2 blocks, 1 turnover, +6
Season statistics — 22 games, 9.2 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 39.6FG%, 37.2%3P 66.7FT%
Up next —
Thursday vs. Portland, 8 p.m.; Saturday vs. Brooklyn, 8 p.m.
Justin Jackson, Oklahoma City Thunder forward
104–87 win vs. Houston —
30 minutes, 4 points, 2–9 FG, 0–5 3FG, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 turnover, +11, -0.4 game score
Season statistics —
10 games, 5.3 points, 2.5 rebounds, 1.1 assist, 38.8FG%, 17.9%3P, 83.3FT%
Up next — Friday vs. Minnesota, 8 p.m.; Saturday vs. Minnesota, 8 p.m.
Cameron Johnson, Phoenix Suns wing
123–101 loss at New Orleans —
Started; 26 minutes, 8 points, 3–9 FG, 2–7 3FG, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 turnover, -25, 4.4 game score
Season statistics —
20 games, 11.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 43.4FG%, 36.2%3P, 86.4FT%
Up next — Friday vs. Detroit, 9 p.m.; Sunday vs. Boston, 2 p.m., NBATV
Nassir Little, Portland Blazers forward/guard
Already ruled out for Thursday’s game with a left knee injury
Season statistics —
9 games, 5.0 points, 2.3 rebounds, 2 assists, 51.7%FG, 58.3%3P, 88.9FG%
Up next — Thursday at Philadelphia, 8 p.m.; Saturday at New York, 1 p.m.
Theo Pinson, New York Knicks guard/forward
107–103 win at Chicago —
Didn’t play
Season statistics — 7 games, 2 points, 1–6 FG, 0–5 3FG, 1 rebound
Up next — Saturday vs. Portland, 1 p.m.; Sunday vs. Miami, 1 p.m.
Coby White, Chicago Bulls point guard
107–103 loss vs. New York — Started; 32 minutes, 13 points, 4–13 FG, 2–8 3FG, 3–4 FT, 3 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal, 2 turnovers, -8, 8.4 game score
Season statistics —
20games, 15.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, 5.7 assists, 40.2FG%, 35.4%3P, 85.7 FT
Up next — Friday at Orlando, 7 p.m.; Saturday at Orlando, 7 p.m.

What is a game score? Here is an exclamation.

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