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Without Kyrie Irving and Luca Dončić, the Dallas Mavericks needed some big performances to win at San Antonio, and Reggie Bullock came through with his best game of the season. Bullock, a 10-year veteran who turned 32 Thursday, produced his first career double-double with 20 points, six 3-pointers and a career-high 13 rebounds.
Cameron Johnson is producing the consistent effort that most expected from his first season as an NBA starter. But, instead of doing it for a solid NBA title contender in the Phoenix Suns, it’s for a rebooted Brooklyn Nets team trying to find a rhythm. Johnson, traded from the Suns to the Nets along with Mikal Bridges at the trade deadline, scored 23 points and three 3-pointers Tuesday night. But Brooklyn, which got 34 points from Bridges, blew a 10-point halftime lead and lost at Oklahoma City 121–107.
Dontrez Styles, who still is deciding whether he’ll return to Carolina next season, said Tuesday that Coach Hubert Davis told the team after the NCAA selection show that the Tar Heels wouldn’t accept an NIT invitation. “It was the coach’s decision,” Styles said during his weekly “Tuesdays with Trez” segment on “The Bryan Hanks Show” on WRNS 960 AM in Kinston.
The shuffling of the Carolina men’s basketball roster is under way. With several reserves getting little playing time, some of them figured to move on. That started Monday when Tyler Nickel and Justin McKoy entered the transfer portal. Nickel has three years of eligibility left, and McKoy would play a fifth season as a graduate transfer.
After not earning the chance to make another run at the Final Four, North Carolina’s men’s team has declined an opportunity to play in the National Invitation Tournament. “Many factors go into postseason play and we believe now is the time to focus on moving head, preparing for next season and the opportunity to again compete for ACC and NCAA championships,” UNC coach Hubert Davis said in a statement released Sunday.
Dawson Garcia had a few big games in a challenging first season at Minnesota and enjoyed one last one at the Big Ten Tournament in Chicago. In the first round Wednesday, Garcia put up his third double-double of the season with 18 points and 13 rebounds in addition to six assists as the No. 14-seed Gophers beat No. 11-seed Nebraska 78–75.
During a rough week for Cameron Johnson, at least he helped Brooklyn get a hard-fought overtime victory on Friday. After he missed the Nets’ Thursday’s 118–113 at Milwaukee with right knee soreness, he was back in the starting lineup for Brooklyn’s 124–123 overtime victory Friday at Minnesota.
North Carolina figured to need at least three wins in Greensboro to secure an NCAA tournament berth and, after getting only one, the Tar Heels are firmly on the bubble that is likely about to burst. Two prominent bracket projections — from Joe Lunardi on ESPN and Jerry Palm on CBS — list the Tar Heels as the fifth team out of the field. Both list Clemson as one of the teams ahead of them but still not in the field.
GREENSBORO — RJ Davis tried to will North Carolina to a victory that the No. 7-seed Tar Heels desperately needed to make the NCAA tournament, but he needed help. He didn’t get nearly enough of it. His 24 points and four 3-pointers couldn’t avoid a possibly season-ending 68–59 loss Thursday to No. 2-seed Virginia in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament at the Greensboro Coliseum.
Hear what UNC’s Hubert Davis, RJ Davis, Armando Bacot, Pete Nance and Caleb Love had to say after the Tar Heels’ loss to Virginia.
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