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Friday will be Michael Jordan Day on ESPN and ACC Network as the channels will feature extensive programming that spotlights No. 23 on 2/3/23. Highlights of the Carolina and NBA great’s career will be part of multiple studio shows, while ACCN will air four Tar Heels games from the 1981, 1983 and 1984 seasons.
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.
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