By R.L. Bynum
Harrison Barnes continues to stack up impressive performances, leading the Sacramento Kings to their best season in years.
Barnes collected 20 points, two 3-pointers, six rebounds and two assists as the Kings won their fifth straight with a 116–111 road victory over the Los Angeles Lakers to move into third place in the Western Conference at 25–18.
Barnes’ three-point play with 50 seconds left helped the Kings hold off a Lakers surge.
It’s the first time Sacramento has put together two five-game win streaks in the season since the 2004–05 season after a seven-game streak in November.
Barnes has 13 games with at least 20 points this season.
Reggie Bullock scored 18 points and four 3-pointers off the bench in Dallas’ 130–122 home loss Wednesday against Atlanta to score in double figures for three consecutive games for the first time this season.
Bullock made 4 of 7 3-point attempts to give him at least four 3s in four games this season and two of the last three.
Mark Stein reports that the New York Knicks are “angling” to acquire Bullock, potentially in a deal that would send former Duke forward Cam Reddish to Dallas. Stein reports, though, that the Mavericks hold Bullock “in high regard.”
Bullock’s best career numbers were his two seasons (2019–21) with the Knicks, with 10 points per game and 39.3% shooting from 3-point range. Bullock signed with Dallas after the 2020–21 season.
After combining to play more than 34 minutes in the previous two games, Theo Pinson didn’t play against Atlanta (coach’s decision).
Walker Kessler has put up two double-doubles this week, including the best game of his rookie season.
In Utah’s 126–125 victory Monday at Minnesota, Kessler collected 20 points, nine field goals, 21 rebounds, four assists and a 26.4 game score, all season-highs, in addition to two blocks. He followed that up with 13 points, 11 rebounds and two blocks in Wednesday’s 126–103 home win over the Los Angeles Clippers.
The Monday effort came against the Timberwolves, who drafted him in the 2022 draft and then traded him.
“I was only here for like two days, but those guys were nothing but polite to me,” Kessler said of the Wolves. “My grandad and my dad are from Minnesota. I’ve got some extended family here I’m going to go say hey to, but it was fun. It was a lot of fun to play here.”
Utah coach Will Hardy said that Kessler, who he has had in his starting lineup for the last five games, has shown versatility.
“He’s shown so much growth on both ends of the floor, but I think defense probably comes natural to Walker in a lot of ways,” Hardy said. “His ability to learn on the fly on the offensive end has just been tremendous.”
In his second game back after returning from missing 22 games with a hip injury, Nassir Little had two points in 12 minutes in Portland’s 122–113 Tuesday loss at Denver.
Day’Ron Sharpe had one point and four rebounds in five minutes in Brooklyn’s 106–98 loss Tuesday at San Antonio.
In the G League, Garrison Brooks put up his 16th double-double of the season with 16 points and 15 rebounds in Westchester’s 127–118 loss Wednesday at Wisconsin.
Cole Anthony, Orlando Magic guard
Age 22 | 6–3, 185 | third NBA season | UNC 2019–20 (1 season)
Off Monday through Wednesday
Season statistics — 26 games, 11.4 points, 40.6 FG%, 30.8 3P%, 89.3 FT%, 4.5 rebounds, 4.3 assists
Next games — 7 p.m. Friday vs. New Orleans; 7 p.m. Saturday at Washington
Harrison Barnes, Sacramento Kings forward
Age 30 | 6–8, 225 | 11th NBA season | UNC 2010–12 (2 seasons)
116–111 Wednesday win at Los Angeles Lakers — Started; 40 minutes, 20 points, 6–17 FG, 2–5 3FG, 6–7 FT, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 turnovers, 1 foul, +12, 10.9 game score
Season statistics — 43 games, 15.3 points, 48.3 FG%, 36.6 3FG%, 82.4 FT%, 5.0 rebounds, 1.7 assists
Next games — 10 p.m. Friday vs. Oklahoma City; 10 p.m. Saturday vs. Philadelphia
Tony Bradley, Chicago Bulls center
Age 25 | 6–10, 248 | sixth NBA season | UNC 2016–17 (1 season)
Off Monday through Wednesday
Season statistics — 9 games, 25 minutes, 12 points, 4–7 FG, 2–4 3FG, 2–2 FT, 10 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal
Next games — 3 p.m. Thursday at Detroit; 8 p.m. Monday vs. Atlanta
Reggie Bullock, Dallas Mavericks small forward
Age 31 | 6–6, 205 | 10th NBA season | UNC 2010–13 (3 seasons)
130–122 Wednesday loss vs. Atlanta — Didn’t start; 36 minutes, 18 points, 7–11 FG, 4–7 3FG, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 turnover, 5 fouls, -17, 13.1 game score
Season statistics — 44 games, 6.1 points, 37.6 FG%, 34.7 3P%, 65.4 FT%, 3.4 rebounds, 1.2 assists
Next games — 7:30 Friday vs. Miami, ESPN; 7:30 Sunday vs. Los Angeles Clippers
Justin Jackson, Boston Celtics forward
Age 27 | 6–8, 220| sixth NBA season | UNC 2014–17 (3 seasons)
130–118 Monday win at Charlotte — Didn’t play (coach’s decision)
Season statistics — 19 games, 83 minutes, 15 points, 5–22 FG, 4–16 3FG, 9 rebounds, 8 assists, 4 blocks, 4 steals
Next games — 7:30 Thursday vs. Golden State, TNT; 5 p.m. Saturday at Toronto
Cameron Johnson, Phoenix Suns forward
Age 27 | 6–8, 210| fourth NBA season | UNC 2017–19 (2 seasons)
Expected to play Thursday for the first time since Nov. 5 after recovering from Nov. 8 surgery to repair a torn meniscus
Season statistics — 8 games, 13.0 points, 44.6 FG%, 43.1 3P%, 72.7 FT%, 2.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists
Next games — 10 p.m. Thursday vs. Brooklyn, TNT; 9 p.m. Saturday vs. Indiana
Walker Kessler, Utah Jazz center
Age 21 | 7–0, 245 | rookie NBA season | UNC 2020–21 (1 season)
126–125 Monday win at Minnesota — Started; 31 minutes, 20 points (ties season-high), 9–13 FG (season-high), 2–3 FT, 21 rebounds (season-high), 4 assists (season-high), 2 blocks, 1 turnover, 1 foul, plus/minus of 0, 26.4 game score (season-high)
126–103 Wednesday win vs. Los Angeles Clippers — Started; 13 points, 6–9 FG, 1–2 FG, 11 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks, 1 turnover, 1 foul, +15, 16.7 game score
Season statistics — 45 games, 7.6 points, 71.5 FG%, 55.4 FT%, 7.2 rebounds, 0.8 of an assist, 2.0 blocks
Next games — 9 p.m. Friday vs. Brooklyn; 9 p.m. Monday vs. Charlotte, Bally Sports SE
Nassir Little, Portland Trail Blazers forward
Age 22 | 6–5, 220 | third NBA season | UNC 2018–19 (1 season)
122–113 Tuesday loss at Denver — 12 minutes, 2 points, 1–4 FG, 0–1 3FG, 1 foul, plus/minus of 0, -0.8 game score
Season statistics — 23 games, 5.6 points, 46.5 FG%, 38.8 3P%, 65.2 FT%, 2.2 rebounds, 0.8 of an assist
Next games — 10 p.m. Thursday vs. Philadelphia; 9 p.m. Sunday vs. Los Angeles Lakers
Theo Pinson, Dallas Mavericks guard
Age 27 | 6–5, 212 | fifth NBA season | UNC 2014–18 (4 seasons)
130–122 Wednesday loss vs. Atlanta — Didn’t play (coach’s decision)
Season statistics — 23 games, 127 minutes, 41 points, 12–34 FG, 9–24 3FG, 8–9 FT, 27 rebounds, 13 assists, 2 steals
Next games — 7:30 Friday vs. Miami, ESPN; 7:30 Sunday vs. Los Angeles Clippers
Day’Ron Sharpe, Brooklyn Nets center
Age 21 | 6–9, 265 | second NBA season | UNC 2020–21 (1 season)
106–98 Tuesday loss at San Antonio — 5 minutes, 1 point, 1–2 FT, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, 1 turnover, +1, 2.6 game score
Season NBA statistics — 22 games, 189 minutes, 78 points, 30–57 FG, 4–5 3FG, 14–21 FT, 70 rebounds, 15 assists, 3 steals, 12 blocks
G League statistics — 14 games, 16.3 points, 64.4 2PFG%, 21.1 3FG%, 57.1 FT%, 12.4 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.6 blocks
Next games — 10 p.m. Thursday at Phoenix, TNT; 9 p.m. Friday at Utah
Coby White, Chicago Bulls guard
Age 22 | 6–4, 195 | fourth NBA season| UNC 2018–19 (1 season)
Off Monday through Wednesday
Season statistics — 36 games, 8.4 points, 42.7 FG%, 36.6 3P%, 2.6 rebounds, 1.9 assists
Next games — 3 p.m. Thursday at Detroit; 8 p.m. Monday vs. Atlanta
In the G League
Garrison Brooks, Westchester Knicks center
Age 23 | 6–10, 240 | Rookie | UNC 2017–21 (4 seasons)
127–118 Wednesday loss at Wisconsin — Started; 33 minutes, 16 points, 6–13 FG, 0–2 3FG, 2–3 FT, 15 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 fouls, 1 steal, 1 turnover, -10
Season statistics — 22 games, 13.3 points, 52.1 2PFG%, 0–5 3P, 52.1 FT%, 11.9 rebounds, 2.5 assist, 0.6 of a block
Next games — 1 p.m. Sunday vs. Iowa; 7 p.m. Tuesday vs. Iowa, ESPN+
Out while recovering from surgery
— Memphis forward Danny Green had offseason surgery to repair a torn ACL and LCL in his left knee suffered in May, and is targeting to make his season debut before the All-Star break in February.
Get an explanation of the game score metric here.
Photo via @SacramentoKings
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