By R.L. Bynum
Carolina fans who watched Danny Green’s defense and 13 3-pointers during Carolina’s NCAA tournament run to the 2009 national title knew his game would likely translate to the NBA.
Have they ever. And, of course, he’s added three NBA titles to that NCAA crown. On Wednesday he shot his way to a career plateau.
Green’s three 3-pointers in Philadelphia’s 101–96 home loss to Miami gave him 1,500 for his career, and he tied his career-high with five steals. Green, who had nine points and six rebounds, is 40th on the all-time NBA 3-pointers list, trailing Phoenix’s Chris Paul by seven.
Coming off the bench for the third consecutive game, two of his three 3-pointers came in the last 5:20 as the Sixers (15–14) tried to rally. Green assisted on a Tobias Harris 3-pointer with 1:24 left to tie the game at 96 but the Heat scored the game’s last five points.
After finishing his four-year Carolina career with 184 3-pointers and averaging 1.3 per game, Green, in his 13th NBA season, is averaging 1.9 3-pointers over 779 games. He shot 37.5% from 3-point range in his UNC career (41.8% as senior) and has shot 40.0% for his NBA career.
He has shot better than 40% in six seasons, topped by 2018–19 when he shot 45.5% for Toronto during the Raptors’ championship season.
Wednesday’s game marked Green’s sixth career five-steal game, the previous one coming in a March 21 road game against the Knicks.
Green has scored in double figures once in the last nine games, a 10-point night Dec. 3 in a win at Atlanta. His 11.4 game score was his sixth double-digit game score of the season and fifth-highest.
Green’s NBA 3-pointers total is second among Tar Heels behind Vince Carter’s 2,290, which puts Carter sixth on the all-time NBA list.
Most NBA 3-pointers by Tar Heels
| 1. | Vince Carter | 2,290 |
| 2. | X-Danny Green | 1,500 |
| 3. | Antawn Jamison | 1,163 |
| 4. | X-Wayne Ellington | 1,175 |
| 5. | Rasheed Wallace | 1,086 |
| 6. | Marvin Williams | 1,046 |
| 7. | Jerry Stackhouse | 988 |
| 8. | Raymond Felton | 925 |
| 9. | X-Harrison Barnes | 903 |
| 10. | Sam Perkins | 849 |
Another member of that 2009 NCAA champion team also notched three 3-pointers and made some big ones. Wayne Ellington scored all nine of his points in the fourth quarter on those 3-pointers to help the Los Angeles Lakers (16–13) take a 107–104 overtime win at Dallas.
Ellington scrambled to the left corner to snag a loose ball and his 1,175th career 3-pointer with two seconds left in regulation sent the game into overtime. Ellington added three rebounds, three assists and three steals.
A heave from beyond half court at the overtime buzzer by the Mavericks’ Reggie Bullock bounced off the glass and rimmed out. Bullock was 0 of 4 shooting, all 3-point attempts, in 20 minutes for his sixth scoreless game and 10th negative game score of the season.
Ellington’s 3 at the end regulation was one of five game-tying or go-ahead 3-pointers in the final minute of the fourth quarter and overtime in the game. That is tied for the most since it happened in a Chicago-Indiana game on Jan. 4, 2019
Harrison Barnes had his best game in nearly a month, scoring 15 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter with a pair of three-point plays and a 3-pointer to lead Sacramento (12–17) to a 119–105 home win over Washington.
Barnes, who had five rebounds, three assists and a 17.6 game score, gave the Kings a nine-point lead on a 3-pointer with 5:33 left and added four free throws in the final minutes. It was his best game score since putting up a 16.1 on Nov. 29 in an 18-point game against Utah.
Nassir Little, starting his fourth consecutive game, had nine points, four rebounds, three assists and a block in Portland’s 113–103 home loss to Memphis. At 10.3, it was his seventh double-digit game score of the season.
Cole Anthony scored a season-low seven points in Orlando’s 111–99 home loss to Atlanta. He went 3 of 14 from the floor, tied for his worst shooting game of the season (also in a 10-point game in an Oct. 22 home loss to the Knicks).
He tied his worst 3-point shooting game of the season, going 0 of 5 (also in a 10-point game in a Nov. 10 loss to Brooklyn and in a 9-point game in a Dec. 6 loss at Golden State). It was his second negative game score of the season.
The Magic (5–24) is 0–7 when Anthony scores fewer than 15 points.
Ed Davis had four points, three rebounds and two blocks in 19 minutes for Cleveland (18–12) in his first game since Dec. 3, after not playing for six consecutive games. Davis got his third-most playing time this season in the Cavaliers’ 124–89 home win over Houston.
In the G League, Justin Jackson had 14 points, eight rebounds, two assists and a steal in his Texas Legends’ 128–90 road loss to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.
Cole Anthony, Orlando Magic guard
111–99 loss vs. Atlanta — Started; 34 minutes, 7 points, 3–14 FG, 0–5 3FG, 1–1 FT, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 turnovers, -17, -1.0 game score
Season statistics — 23 games, 19.9 points, 41.7 FG%, 36.6 3FG%, 87.6 FT%, 6.1 rebounds, 5.6 assists
Up next — 7 p.m. Friday vs. Miami; 7:30 Saturday at Brooklyn
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Harrison Barnes, Sacramento Kings forward
119–105 win vs. Washington — Started; 32 minutes, 19 points, 6–10 FG, 1–4 3FG, 6–6 FT, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 turnover, +7, 17.6 game score
Season statistics — 24 games, 17.5 points, 45.9 FG%, 38.1 3FG%, 84.5 FT%, 6.6 rebounds, 2.4 assists
Up next — 10 p.m. Friday vs. Memphis; 6 p.m. Sunday vs. San Antonio
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Tony Bradley, Chicago Bulls center
Off Wednesday
Season statistics — 21 games, 3.5 points, 55.7 FG%, 4.5 rebounds, 0.5 of an assist
Up next — 3:30 Sunday vs. Los Angeles Lakers; 8 p.m. Monday, Dec. 20, vs. Houston
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Reggie Bullock, Dallas Mavericks guard/forward
107–104 OT loss vs. Los Angeles Lakers — Started; 20 minutes, 0 points, 0–4 FG, 0–4 3FG, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 turnover, -10, -2.6 game score
Season statistics — https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1471315124547895296, 5.8 points, 36.4 FG%, 28.3 3P%, 72.7 FT%, 2.7 rebounds, 0.8 of an assist
Up next — 8 p.m. Sunday at Minnesota; 8:30 Tuesday vs. Minnesota
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Ed Davis, Cleveland Cavaliers center
124–89 win vs. Houston — 19 minutes, 4 points, 2–2 FT, 0–2 FT, 3 rebounds, 2 blocks, +11, 4.1 game score
Season statistics — 10 games, 1.9 points, 75.0 FG%, 25.0 FT%, 3.2 rebounds, 0.1 of an assist
Up next — 9 p.m. Saturday at Milwaukee; 7:30 Sunday at Atlanta
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Wayne Ellington, Los Angeles Lakers guard
107–104 OT win at Dallas — Started; 37 minutes, 9 points, 3–9 FG, 3–9 3FG, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, +10, 8.5 game score
Season statistics — 21 games, 6.6 points, 39.7 FG%, 39.8 3FG%, 4–5 FT, 1.5 rebounds, 0.7 of an assist
Up next — 10 p.m. Friday at Minnesota, ESPN; 8 p.m. Sunday at Chicago
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Danny Green, Philadelphia 76ers forward
101–96 loss vs. Miami — 28 minutes, 9 points, 3–8 FG, 3–8 3FG, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 5 steals, 1 turnover, +11, 11.4 game score
Season statistics — 22 games, 7.0 points, 42.2 FG%, 38.9 3FG%, 4–4 FT, 2.7 rebounds, 1.2 assists
Up next — 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Brooklyn, NBATV; 8 p.m. Sunday vs. New Orleans
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Cameron Johnson, Phoenix Suns wing
Off Wednesday
Season statistics — 27 games, 10.1 points, 41.8 FG%, 40.6 3FG%, 3.7 rebounds, 1.3 assists
Up next — 9 p.m. Thursday vs. Washington; 8 p.m. Sunday vs. Charlotte, BSSE
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Nassir Little, Portland Trail Blazers wing
113–103 loss vs. Memphis — Started; 35 minutes, 9 points, 2–5 FG, 1–2 3FG, 4–4 FT, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block, -4, 10.3 game score
Season statistics — 25 games, 8.6 points, 48.1 FG%, 31.6 3P%, 76.6 FT%, 5.2 rebounds, 0.8 of an assist
Up next — 10 p.m. Friday vs. Charlotte, BSSE; 6 p.m. Sunday at Memphis
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Day’Ron Sharpe, Brooklyn Nets center
Off Wednesday
Season NBA statistics — 9 games, 2.7 points, 60.0 FG%, 33.3% 3P%, 3–9 FT, 2.7 rebounds
Season G League statistics — 4 games, 18.0 points, 47.8 FG%, 33.33P%, 85.7 FT%, 9.8 rebounds, 1.4 steals, 2.6 blocks
Up next — Brooklyn plays at 7:30 Thursday vs. Philadelphia, NBATV; Long Island plays at 7 p.m. Thursday and Friday at Maine Celtics
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Coby White, Chicago Bulls guard
Off Wednesday
Season statistics — 9 games, 6.1 points, 34.9 FG%, 22.6 3P%, 2.6 rebounds, 1.3 assists
Up next — 3:30 Sunday vs. Los Angeles Lakers; 8 p.m. Monday, Dec. 20, vs. Houston
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In G League
Justin Jackson, Texas Legends (Mavericks affiliate) forward
128–90 loss at Rio Grande (Rockets affiliate) — Started; 34 minutes, 14 points, 6–18 FG, 2–7 3FG, 0–2 FT, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 2 turnovers, -27
Season statistics — 10 games, 22.7 points, 47.3% FG, 41.4% 3FG, 79.2 FT%, 7.7 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.0 steals
Up next — 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 28, and Thursday, Dec. 30, at Austin Spurs;
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Theo Pinson, Maine Celtics guard
Off Wednesday
Season statistics — 10 games, 17.3 points, 45.8 FG%, 42.6 3FG%, 88.0 FT%, 4.6 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 1.2 steals
Up next — 7 p.m. Thursday and Friday vs. Long Island Nets
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