By R.L. Bynum
With Roy Williams watching on Saturday, Coby White scored 20 points in his home debut with the Charlotte Hornets during a week when Harrison Barnes’ consecutive games streak ended, Cameron Johnson got hurt, Drake Powell headed to the G League, Cormac Ryan got a two-way contract and Cole Anthony got waived.
White had two 3-pointers and three rebounds in Charlotte’s 109–93 victory after collecting seven points and six assists in Thursday’s 133–109 win at Indiana. In a precautionary move, White sat out Tuesday’s 117–90 home win over Dallas with a strained left calf.
Barnes had his streak of 364 consecutive games played snapped Tuesday when he missed San Antonio’s 131–91 win at Philadelphia with a sore left ankle. It ended what was the second-longest active streak behind Mikal Bridges’ 617 games. The last previous game he missed was on Dec. 4, 2021, with the Sacramento Kings.
In his two games over the last week, he combined for six points on 2 of 8 shooting and has come off the bench in the last eight games.
After Powell scored four points in 20½ minutes of Brooklyn’s 125–110 Thursday loss to San Antonio, the Nets sent him to the Long Island Nets, its G-League affiliate, when they recalled Ben Saraf.
In his Long Island debut, he started, played 28 minutes, and collected 10 of his 13 points in the first quarter, finishing with 7 rebounds and 3 assists. Powell also played games for Long Island on Dec. 9 and Dec. 10.
Limited to only five more NBA games this season under his two-way contract (unless Portland converts it to a standard contract), Caleb Love continues to play games for the Blazers’ G League affiliate, the Rip City Remix.
He’s averaged 23.7 points in three G League games after scoring 19 points in 35 minutes, although going 1-of-8 from 3-point range, in a 122–95 home loss Monday to the Iowa Wolves. He had four assists but six turnovers.
Milwaukee converted Cormac Ryan’s contract from Exhibit 10 to two-way, but he hasn’t played with the Bucks yet. In his only game over the last week, he had 28 points, three 3-pointers and seven assists in the Wisconsin Herd’s 134–126 Friday road win over the Memphis Hustle.
It was a tough week for Johnson after contributing 11 points, five rebounds and three assists in Denver’s 103–84 Wednesday win against Boston and then seven points, eight rebounds and three blocks in Friday’s 127–121 loss at Oklahoma City.
Johnson was scoreless on 0-for-6 shooting with three assists in 23 minutes of Sunday’s 117–108 loss to Minnesota. He suffered inflammation in his right ankle during that game, which forced him to miss Monday’s 128–125 win at Utah.
“It’s an older problem,” Johnson told Altitude Plus. “It’s kind of been there all season. That’s no excuse for anything. Everybody’s dealing with stuff at this point in the season.”
Leaky Black played his first two NBA games this season, combining for 12 points, 16 rebounds and four blocks in more than 61 minutes for the Washington Wizards.
Day’Ron Sharpe notched his fifth double-double of the season in Thursday’s 126–110 home loss to San Antonio with 14 points and 11 rebounds. He had two points and five rebounds in Friday’s 148–111 loss to Boston.
Sharpe got his seventh start of the season in Brooklyn’s 106–102 Sunday home loss to Cleveland, collecting seven points, eight assists and three steals. He came off the bench in Tuesday’s 124–98 loss at Miami with 10 points and eight rebounds.
In other news on former UNC players:
— In a much-anticipated move, Phoenix waived Anthony, whom it acquired at the trade deadline from Milwaukee.
— It was a quiet few days for Milwaukee center Pete Nance. After not playing (coach’s decision) on Wednesday, he was scoreless on a combined 0-for-3 shooting in games on Friday and Sunday before contributing six points and three rebounds in the Bucks’ 108–81 home loss Monday to Boston.
— RJ Davis combined for eight points in two South Bay Lakers wins last week, the second a 115–100 Saturday home win over the Stockton Kings. After his honored-jersey ceremony at halftime of UNC’s game with Clemson, he was quickly off to Oklahoma City for South Bay’s noon game against the Blue.
—Harrison Ingram missed both Austin Spurs games in the last week with an undisclosed injury.
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Harrison Barnes, San Antonio Spurs forward
Age 33 | 6–7, 225 | 14th season | $19 million salary | UNC 2010–12 (2 seasons)
Roster situation — Starting power forward ahead of Keldon Johnson
Season statistics — 60 games, 10.2 points, 44.3 FG%, 37.6 3P%, 84.5 FT%, 2.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists
Team record: 44–17, 2nd in Western Conference
Thursday: 126–110 win at Brooklyn — Didn’t start; 16:10, 3 points, 1–5 FG, 1–3 3FG, 1 assist, 1 steal, +19
Sunday: 114–89 loss at New York — Didn’t start; 3 points, 1–3 FG, 1–1 3FG, 2 assists, 1 steal, 2 turnovers, -14
Tuesday: 131–91 win at Philadelphia — Missed game with sore left ankle, ending a streak of 364 straight games, which was the second-longest active streak in the NBA behind Mikal Bridges (617).
Next game — 8 p.m. Thursday vs. Detroit
Cameron Johnson, Denver Nuggets forward
Age 29 | 6–8, 210 | 7th season | $22.54 million salary | UNC 2017–19 (2 seasons)
Roster situation — Starting small forward ahead of Tim Hardaway Jr.
Season statistics — 37 games, 11.2 points, 44.5 FG%, 40.6 3P%, 84.8 FT%, 3.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists
Team record: 38–24, 5th in Western Conference
Wednesday: 103–84 win vs. Boston — Started; 34:49, 11 points, 4–11 FG, 3–6 3FG, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 turnover, 1 foul, +17
Friday: 127–121 loss at Oklahoma City — Started; 40:04, 7 points, 2–7 FG, 1–4 3FG, 2–2 FT, 8 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 blocks, 3 turnovers, 4 fouls, -25
Sunday: 117–108 loss vs. Minnesota — Started; 23:11, 0–6 FG, 0–4 3FG, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 turnover, 4 fouls, -13
Monday: 128–125 win at Utah — Missed game with right ankle inflammation suffered in Sunday’s loss
Next game — 10 p.m. Thursday vs. Los Angeles Lakers, Prime Video
Caleb Love, Portland Trail Blazers guard
Age 24 | 6–3, 212 | Rookie season | Two-way contract | UNC 2020–23 (3 seasons)
Roster situation — Reserve
NBA season statistics — 45 games (limited to 50 under his two-way contract), 11.3 points, 39.0 FG%, 32.1 3P%, 73.5 FT%, 2.5 rebounds, 2.7 assists
G League season statistics — 3 games, 23.7 points, 25.3 FG%, 22.6 3P%, 66.7 FT%, 3.3 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 5.0 turnovers
Team record: 29–33, 10th in Western Conference
Monday in G League with Rip City Remix: 122–95 loss vs. Iowa Wolves — Started; 35 minutes, 19 points, 7–23 FG, 1–8 3FG, 2–2 FT, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 foul, 6 turnovers, -29
Next Blazers game — 8 p.m. Wednesday at Memphis
Next Remix game — 9 p.m. Wednesday vs. Iowa Wolves
Pete Nance, Milwaukee Bucks center
Age 25 | 6–9, 225 | 3rd season | Two-way contract | UNC 2022–23 (1 season)
Season G League statistics — 12 games, 19.0 points, 53.7 FG%, 40.3 3P%, 78.9 FT%, 8.3 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.3 steals, 1.1 blocks
Season NBA statistics — 28 games, 4.7 points, 57.8 FG%, 50.0 3P%, 2.0 rebounds, 0.6 of an assist
Team record: 26–34, 11th in Eastern Conference
Wednesday: 118–116 win vs. Cleveland — Didn’t play (coach’s decision)
Friday: 127–98 loss vs. New York — 6:13, 0–2 FG, 0–2 3FG, 1 assist, +3
Sunday: 120–97 loss at Chicago — 2:54, 0–1 FG, 0–1 3FG, 1 turnover, -4
Monday: 108–81 loss vs. Boston — 15:06, 6 points, 2–2 FT, 2–2 3FG, 3 rebounds, 2 turnovers, 1 foul, -4
Next game — 9:30 Wednesday vs. Atlanta, ESPN
Drake Powell, Brooklyn Nets forward
Age 20 | 6–5, 195 | Rookie season | 4-year NBA rookie contract | UNC 2024–25 (1 season)
Roster situation — Starting shooting guard
Season NBA statistics — 47 games, 6.0 points, 42.4 FG%, 28.2 3FG%, 89.8 FT%, 1.7 rebounds, 1.5 assists
Season G League statistics — 3 games, 9.0 points, 33.3 FG%, 30.8 3FG%, 77.8 FT%, 5.7 rebounds, 3.7 assists
Team record: 15–46, 14th in Eastern Conference
Thursday: 126–110 loss vs. San Antonio — Didn’t start; 20:33, 4 points, 2–4 FG, 0–1 3FG, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 1 turnover, -7
Friday: 148–111 loss at Boston — Didn’t play
Sunday in G League debut with Long Island Nets: 117–111 win vs. Westchester Knicks — Started; 27:55 minutes, 13 points, 4–8 FG, 3–6 3FG, 1–2 FT, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 fouls, 1 steal, +5
Next Brooklyn game — 7:30 Thursday at Miami
Next Long Island game — 11 a.m. Wednesday at Greensboro Swarm
Day’Ron Sharpe, Brooklyn Nets center
Age 24 | 6–9, 265 | 5th season | $6.25 million salary | UNC 2020–21 (1 season)
Roster situation — Backup center behind Nic Claxton
Season statistics — 59 games, 8.5 points, 59.9 FG%, 19.4 3P%, 67.6 FT%, 6.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists
Team record: 15–46, 14th in Eastern Conference
Thursday: 126–110 loss vs. San Antonio — Didn’t start; 19:19, 14 points, 6–10 FG, 0–1 3FG, 2–2 FT, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 3 turnovers, 2 fouls, -9
Friday: 148–111 loss at Boston — Didn’t start; 14:50, 2 points, 1–7 FG, 0–1 3FG, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 turnover, 3 fouls, -14
Sunday: 106–102 loss vs. Cleveland — Started; 27:00; 7 points, 3–5 FG, 0–1 3FG, 1–2 FT, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 6 turnovers, 5 fouls, -7
Tuesday: 124–98 loss at Miami — Didn’t start; 17:19, 10 points, 5–6 FG, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 fouls, -6
Next game — 7:30 Thursday at Miami
Coby White, Charlotte Hornets forward
Age 26 | 6–4, 195 | 7th season | $12.88 million salary | UNC 2018–19 (1 season)
Roster situation — Starting shooting guard ahead of Ayo Dosunmu
Season statistics — 32 games, 18.0 points, 43.8 FG%, 34.4 3PFG, 80.4 FT%, 3.6 rebounds, 4.6 assists
Team record: 31–31, 9th in Eastern Conference
Thursday: 133–109 win at Indiana — Didn’t start; 16:30, 7 points, 2–8 FG, 0–4 3FG, 3–5 FT, 1 rebound, 6 assists, 1 steal, 1 turnover, 1 foul, +4
Saturday: 109–93 win vs. Portland — Didn’t start; 21:29, 20 points, 5–13 FG, 2–5 3FG, 8–9 FT, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 turnovers, 4 fouls, +1
Tuesday: 117–90 win vs. Dallas — Didn’t play because of a strained left calf
Next game — 7:30 Wednesday at Boston
Out for season
Utah Jazz center Walker Kessler (torn labrum in left shoulder); season statistics: 5 games, 14.4 points, 70.3 FG%, 75.0 3P%, 70.0 FT%, 10.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.4 steals, 1.8 blocks
Waived
— Cole Anthony by the Phoenix Suns
— Tony Bradley by the Indiana Pacers
Leaky Black, Capital City Go-Go (Wizards) guard
Age 26 | 6–6, 209 | 3rd season | Two-way contract | UNC 2018–23 (5 seasons)
Season G League statistics — 38 games, 10.3 points, 45.6 FG%, 36.5 3P%, 66.7 FT%, 7.4 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.9 steals
Season NBA statistics — 2 games, 6.0 points, 45.5 FG%, 0–3 3FG, 8.0 rebounds, 2.0 blocks
Thursday in NBA with Wizards: 126–96 loss at Atlanta — 30:25, 4 points, 2–3 FG, 0–1 3FG, 7 rebounds, 2 blocks, 2 fouls, -22
Tuesday in NBA with Wizards: 126–109 loss at Orlando — 30:35, 8 points, 3–8 FG, 0–2 3FG, 2–2 FT, 9 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 blocks, 3 fouls, +2
Next Wizards game — 7 p.m. Thursday vs. Utah
Next Go-Go game — 7 p.m. Thursday at Grand Rapids Gold.
RJ Davis, South Bay Lakers guard
Age 23 | 6–0, 180 | rookie season | Exhibit 10 contract | UNC 2020–25 (5 seasons)
Season statistics — 37 games, 18.2 points, 44.8 FG%, 40.4 3P%, 87.0 FT%, 4.2 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 0.8 of a steal
Wednesday: 113–99 win at Valley Suns — Started; 34 minutes, 16 points, 6–10 FG, 2–5 3FG, 1–1 FT, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 fouls, 2 steals, +9
Thursday: 129–98 win at Valley Suns — Started; 15 minutes, 2 points, 1–3 FG, 0–1 3FG, 2 fouls, 1 steal, 1 turnover, -12
Saturday: 115–100 win vs. Stockton Kings — Started; 21 minutes, 6 points, 3–9 FG, 0–5 3FG, 4 assists, 1 foul, 1 turnover, +1
Next game — noon Wednesday at Oklahoma City Blue
Harrison Ingram, Austin Spurs forward
Age 23 | 6–5, 230 | 2nd season | Two-way contract | UNC 2023–24 (1 season)
Season NBA statistics — 3 games, 11 minutes, 5 points, 2–3 FG, 1–1 3FG, 3 rebounds, 2 fouls, +13
Season G League statistics — 29 games, 16.0 points, 48.8 FG%, 33.0 3P%, 61.4 FT%, 12.2 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 1.1 steals
Thursday: 102–94 win vs. Motor City Cruise and Sunday: 121–118 win vs. Memphis Hustle— Didn’t play with undisclosed injury
Next game — 8 p.m. Saturday at Sioux Falls Skyforce
Cormac Ryan, Wisconsin Herd (Bucks) guard
Age 26 | 6–5, 195 | 2nd season | Two-way contract | UNC 2024–25 (1 season)
Season statistics — 30 games, 20.6 points, 48.6 FG%, 41.7 3P%, 88.3 FT%, 4.5 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.5 steals
Friday: 134–126 win at Memphis Hustle — Started; 38 minutes, 28 points, 8–16 FG, 3–9 3FG, 7–8 FT, 4 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 fouls, 1 steal, 4 turnovers, +13
Next game — 8 p.m. Friday vs. Mexico City Capitanes
Photo via @hornets
