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After a gruesome knee injury during last season’s playoffs that many thought would end his career, Danny Green finally made his season debut Wednesday night after a long rehabilitation process. When he tore the MCL and LCL in his left knee, he was with the Philadelphia 76ers. After an offseason trade to the Memphis Grizzlies, Green entered the game to start the second quarter of their 122–112 home loss to Portland.
Saturday was the most productive day in the NBA for UNC alums this season as five scored at least 13 points, led by Cole Anthony, who broke loose for 21 points one night after scoring 19. The bad news for Anthony is that both were losses.
The Phoenix Suns lost Thursday for the first time since Cameron Johnson’s return to the lineup a week earlier, but it wasn’t because the fourth-year NBA player didn’t do his part. Johnson followed up a 24-point, six-3-pointer night in Tuesday’s win over Charlotte with 22 points and five 3-pointers, but it wasn’t enough in a 99–95 home loss to Reggie Bullock and the Dallas Mavericks.
The Phoenix Suns limited Cameron Johnson’s minutes in his third game back after recovering from knee surgery, but he made the most of his time on the court. Johnson scored 24 points and six 3-pointers in only 18 minutes as the Suns rolled past the Charlotte Hornets on Tuesday night 128–97 for their fourth consecutive victory.
Harrison Barnes’ play in January has been spectacular and, according to his coach, is “irreplaceable.” With his leadership, the Sacramento Kings continued to roll Monday, doing it in record-breaking fashion. Barnes scored 15 of his 20 points and five of his six 3-pointers as the Kings tied an NBA record with 12 first-quarter 3-pointers on 13 attempts in a 47-point period. Sacramento finished off Memphis by outscoring the Grizzlies 33–10 in the fourth quarter for a 133–100 home victory.
Cole Anthony came off the Orlando bench with one of his best games of the season in the Magic’s return home after a 2–3 West Coast road trip. Anthony was efficient with 22 points in 26 minutes with two 3-pointers, three rebounds and four assists while going 8 of 8 from the free-throw line. That helped the Magic ease past the New Orleans Pelicans 123–110 on Friday.
When Cameron Johnson checked into the game midway through the first quarter, he got a huge ovation from the Phoenix crowd. In his first game in more than two months, the cheers got louder when Johnson scored two 3-pointers his first few minutes on his first three shots. He finished with 19 points in 22 minutes to help the Suns snap a three-game losing streak with a 117–112 victory Thursday over the Brooklyn Nets.
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.
Cameron Johnson’s first season as an NBA starter was off to a promising start until he suffered a frustrating injury on Nov. 4, days after his best game of the season. Johnson expects that the long road back from a torn meniscus in his right knee will end Thursday when the struggling Phoenix Suns play at home against the Brooklyn Nets at 10 p.m. on TNT.
On the night that Nassir Little returned after missing 22 games over six weeks, Harrison Barnes and the high-scoring Sacramento Kings just kept rolling. Barnes scored 29 points and four 3-pointers to lead the Kings to their fourth consecutive victory, 132–119 at San Antonio on Sunday night. It was the second consecutive game and third in the last four that Barnes has scored at least 27 points and at least three 3-pointers.
Reggie Bullock has traditionally played better in his NBA career after the new year, and that trend kicked in Saturday night when he and teammate Theo Pinson both had their best games of the season. Bullock hit a career-high eight 3-pointers (on 10 shots) and scored a season-high 24 points for a season-high 21.3 game score in the Dallas Mavericks’ 136–119 loss at Portland on Saturday night in his best game in more than four years. Pinson collected 11 points, three 3-pointers, three assists and a 10.1 game score, all season-highs.
Coby White had his best game of the season amid trade rumors, and Harrison Barnes kept putting up big numbers for the surging Sacramento Kings on Friday night. White produced season-highs of 19 points, four 3-pointers, seven field goals, six rebounds and a 16.3 game score to go with a team-high six assists in a season-high 33 minutes. Barnes scored 27 points and eight 3-pointers with seven rebounds and three assists as Sacramento rolled to a 139–114 home win over Houston for the Kings’ third consecutive win.
After a weekend marked by a few battles between UNC alums, the most one-sided happened late on Monday night. There was Day’Ron Sharpe vs. Garrison Brooks, Reggie Bullock and Theo Pinson vs. Justin Jackson and Walker Kessler vs. Coby White. But Harrison Barnes had the best of such matchups against Cole Anthony. Barnes was quite efficient in his Sacramento Kings’ easy 136–111 home victory over Anthony’s Orlando Magic, with season-highs of 30 points and six 3-pointers in 30 minutes, 28 seconds. Meanwhile, in the middle of a long West Coast road trip, Anthony had eight points, seven rebounds and three assists.
The Sacramento Kings have split two games the last two nights, but Harrison Barnes played well in each game, with his best performances in consecutive games since November.
After scoring 19 points and three 3-pointers with eight rebounds in Tuesday’s 117–115 win over Utah, he contributed 22 points, two 3-pointers and four rebounds Wednesday in a 120–117 home loss to the Atlanta Hawks.
Harrison Barnes scored 16 points and tied his season-high with four 3-pointers in his best game since mid-December, but it wasn’t enough in a tough road test for his Sacramento Kings. The Memphis Grizzlies pulled away after a close first half to lead by as many as 14 points before taking a 118–108 victory Sunday.
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