By R.L. Bynum
It was a rough night for Harrison Barnes and Cameron Johnson as they both scored 17 points but their teams lost Game 3s in their NBA first-round series Thursday.
It was particularly frustrating for Johnson, whose Brooklyn Nets made a game of it but missed chances to win it or tie it at the end as Philadelphia took a 3–0 series lead with a 102–97 victory in Brooklyn. Game 4 is at 1 p.m. Saturday in Brooklyn (TNT).
Johnson didn’t get a shot in the final minute when it all went awry for the Nets. Instead of getting a chance to tie the game with a 3-pointer, the Sixers’ De’Anthony Melton stole a Nets inbounds pass and dunked with 5.4 seconds left to put the game away.
Johnson, who scored 13 points in the third quarter when the Nets outscored the Sixers 35–18, was scoreless with only two shots in the fourth quarter.
Day’Ron Sharpe was scoreless, with an assist, in two minutes for Brooklyn.
Barnes’ Sacramento Kings still lead their series with the Golden State 2–1 after the Warriors’ 114–97 victory in San Francisco, with Game 4 at 3:30 Sunday (ABC).
“You have to understand that these guys aren’t going to lay down,” said Barnes, who scored 11 points in the third quarter. “They have a lot of pride. They’ve won championships. No matter what the series is at, we have to compete with the same focus that we had in Game 1 and Game 2, and we didn’t have that tonight.”
Barnes said that his team blew a big opportunity.
“It’s a missed opportunity because we didn’t match the level of physicality and effort that they showed on the offensive rebounds,” Barnes said. “I think they just came out with a great sense of urgency than what we had tonight. They came out with desperation, down 0–2. For us, we’ve got to commit to the little things.”
Stephen Curry scored 36 points to lead Golden State.
Danny Green’s Cleveland Cavaliers will resume their series with the New York Knicks on Friday at 8:30 (ABC) in Madison Square Garden. The series is tied at 1 after the Cavaliers won 107–90 in Cleveland on Tuesday.
After not playing in Game 1, Green played 20 minutes on Tuesday with three points, four rebounds and two steals.
Harrison Barnes, Sacramento Kings forward
Age 30 | 6–8, 225 | 11th NBA season | UNC 2010–12 (2 seasons)
114–97 Thursday loss at Golden State — Started; 34 minutes, 17 points, 6–10 FG, 3–7 3FG, 2–4 FT, 1 rebound, 1 foul, -22
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 — 3 games, 14.3 points, 63.6 FG%, 28.6 3P%, 4.7 rebounds, 1.0 assist, 2.0 steals
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
Golden State 114, Sacramento 97; Kings lead 2–1
3:30 p.m. Sunday at Golden State, ABC
Wednesday at Sacramento
If needed:
Friday 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)
107–90 Tuesday win vs. New York — (his first action of series) 20 minutes, 3 points, 1–2 FG, 1–2 3FG, 4 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 turnover, 3 fouls, -2, 3.0 game score
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
Cleveland 107, New York 90; series tied at 1
8:30 Friday at New York, ABC
1 p.m. Sunday at New York, ABC
Wednesday at Cleveland
If needed:
Friday 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)
102–97 Thursday loss vs. Philadelphia — Started; 44 minutes, 17 points, 6–12 FG, 2–5 3FG, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 fouls, -1
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 — 3 games, 21.0 points, 57.1FG%, 50.0 3P%, 4.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 0.7 of a 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
Philadelphia 102, Brooklyn 97; Sixers lead series 3–0
1 p.m. Saturday, TNT
If needed:
Monday at Philadelphia
Thursday 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)
102–97 Thursday loss vs. Philadelphia — 2 minutes, 0 points, 1 assist, -3
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 — 2 games, 3.0 points, 66.7 FG%, 100% FT%, 3.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 0.5 of a block
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
Philadelphia 102, Brooklyn 97; Sixers lead series 3–0
1 p.m. Saturday, TNT
If needed:
1 p.m. Saturday, TNT
If needed:
Monday at Philadelphia
Thursday 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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