By R.L. Bynum
Relentless, red-hot and fearless. Cameron Johnson was all of that for Brooklyn on Monday night for one half but, again, it wasn’t enough. Harrison Barnes again was a steady force as Sacramento took a 2–0 lead on Golden State.
Johnson scored 22 points and had Joel Embiid flailing with a one-handed dunk in his face, followed by a stare-down of the 7-footer, in the first half. He added only six points in the second half, though, as the Philadelphia 76ers took a 2–0 series lead with a 96–84 victory over the Nets on Monday night.
Johnson’s dunk with 3:42 left in the first half pushed Brooklyn’s lead to 10 before his highlight-reel dunk over Embiid.
“It don’t really mean that much. It’s just two points,” Johnson said. “I’m more concerned about wins than dunks.”
Johnson’s 28 points and 21.5 game score were both playoff career highs, topping the 18 points and 12.9 game score he put up in Game 1. He made five of 11 3-point attempts in Game 2 and is shooting 52.9% from 3-point range in the series.
“It wasn’t really a defensive issue as much as it was offensive,” said Johnson, explaining his drop-off in points in the second half. “You’re playing against a set defense every time. They’re in that zone, slowed us down a bit. We only had 14 points in that third quarter. In playoff games like this, when they feel like they’re getting stops, that gives them juice. It’s all about trying to take that away, so we didn’t do a good enough job at that.”
Brooklyn flourished in the first half with a small-ball lineup but the Sixers made the right adjustments in the second half.
After Day’Ron Sharpe had six points and six rebounds and played 17 minutes in Game 1, he didn’t play (coach’s decision) in the second game, mainly because of Brooklyn’s decision to go with a smaller lineup.
The series resumes at 7:30 Thursday in Brooklyn (TNT).
Barnes, just like in Game 1, scored 13 points, this time in a 114–106 Monday victory over the Warriors, as he pulled down six rebounds and had three steals to take early command of the series against the reigning NBA champions.
Barnes scored eight of his points in the fourth quarter. He took a pass from De’Aaron Fox, who scored 24 points, and broke a tie with 5:14 left before the Kings pulled away to win.
Barnes had a highlight-reel dunk of his own in the first half, slamming on Klay Thompson.
Sacramento will try to keep its momentum going when the series resumes at 10 p.m. Thursday (TNT).
“We just need to be where our feet are,” Barnes said. “There’s so much distraction, excitement, anxiety — whatever you want to call it — around the game. But, for us it’s just about putting 48 minutes together. Go out there, stay present, enjoy the moment and compete.”
Harrison Barnes, Sacramento Kings forward
Age 30 | 6–8, 225 | 11th NBA season | UNC 2010–12 (2 seasons)
114–106 Monday win vs. Golden State — Started; 34 minutes, 13 points, 5–13 FG, 0–4 3FG, 3–5 FT, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 steals, 1 foul, +4, 11.4 game score
Regular-season statistics — 82 games, 13.0 points, 41.7 FG%, 14.3 3FG%, 71.4 FT%, 6.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists
Playoff statistics — 2 games, 23.0 points, 60.0 FG%, 52.9 3P%, 4.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.0 steal
Sacramento finished 48–34, third in the Western Conference
Kings No. 3 seed in first-round Western Conference series with No. 6-seed Golden State
Sacramento 126, Golden State 123
Sacramento 114, Golden State 106; Kings lead 2–0
10 p.m. Thursday at Golden State, TNT
3:30 p.m. Sunday, April 23, at Golden State, ABC
If needed:
Wednesday, April 26, at Sacramento
Friday, April 28, at Golden State
Sunday, April 30, at Sacramento
Danny Green, Cleveland Cavaliers guard
Age 35 | 6–6, 205 | 13th NBA season | UNC 2005–09 (4 seasons)
Off Sunday and Monday
Regular-season statistics — 11 games, 5.5 points, 44.9 FG%, 42.2 3FG%, 1–1 FT, 1.3 rebounds, 0.5 of an assist
Cleveland finished 51–31, fourth in the Western Conference
Cavaliers No. 4 seed in first-round Eastern Conference series with No. 5-seed New York
New York 101, Cleveland 97; Knicks lead series 1–0
7:30 Tuesday at Cleveland, TNT
8:30 Friday at New York, ABC
1 p.m. Sunday at New York, ABC
If needed:
Wednesday, April 26, at Cleveland
Friday, April 28, at New York
Sunday, April 30, at Cleveland
Cameron Johnson, Brooklyn Nets forward
Age 27 | 6–8, 210 | fourth NBA season | UNC 2017–19 (2 seasons)
96–84 Monday loss at Philadelphia — Started; 41 minutes, 28 points, 11–19 FG, 5–11 3FG, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, 1 block, 1 turnover, 3 fouls, -17, 21.5 game score
Regular-season statistics — 42 games, 15.5 points, 47.0 FG%, 40.4 3P%, 84.3 FT%, 4.4 rebounds, 1.9 assists
Playoff statistics — 2 games, 23.0 points, 60.0FG%, 52.9 3P%, 4.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.0 steal
Brooklyn finished 45–37, sixth in the Eastern Conference
Nets No. 6 seed in first-round Eastern Conference series with No. 3-seed Philadelphia
Philadelphia 121, Brooklyn 101
Philadelphia 96, Brooklyn 84; Sixers lead series 2–0
7:30 Thursday at Brooklyn, TNT
1 p.m. Saturday, April 30, TNT
If needed:
Monday, April 24, at Philadelphia
Thursday, April 27, at Brooklyn
Saturday, April 29, at Philadelphia
Day’Ron Sharpe, Brooklyn Nets center
Age 21 | 6–9, 265 | second NBA season | UNC 2020–21 (1 season)
96–84 Monday loss at Philadelphia — Didn’t play (coach’s decision)
Regular-season NBA statistics — 48 games, 4.7 points, 54.4 FG%, 6–11 3FG, 63.6 FT%, 4.2 rebounds, 0.8 of an assist, 0.7 of a block
Playoff statistics — 1 game, 6 points, 2–3 FG, 2–2 FT, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 block, 2 turnovers, 3 fouls
Regular-season 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, 12 double-doubles
Brooklyn finished 45–37, sixth in the Eastern Conference
Nets No. 6 seed in first-round Eastern Conference series with No. 3-seed Philadelphia
Philadelphia 121, Brooklyn 101
Philadelphia 96, Brooklyn 84; Sixers lead series 2–0
7:30 Thursday at Brooklyn, TNT
1 p.m. Saturday, April 30, TNT
If needed:
Monday, April 24, at Philadelphia
Thursday, April 27, at Brooklyn
Saturday, April 29, at Philadelphia
Get an explanation of the game score metric here. Michael Jordan produced the all-time-high game score of 64.6 on March 28, 1990, in the Chicago Bulls’ 117–113 overtime win at Cleveland. Jordan had 69 points on 23 of 37 shooting (2 of 6 from 3-point range), made 21 of 23 free-throw attempts and collected 18 rebounds, six assists, four steals and a block.
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