University of North Carolina Athletics
Tar Heels In The NBA, Jan. 28
January 28, 2014 | Men's Basketball
NOTE: This article originally appeared in the Jan. 28 issue of CAROLINA.
compiled by Ben Brown, GoHeels.com
Box Score of the Week
Denver Nuggets point guard Ty Lawson missed out on being named to the Western Conference all-star roster despite playing this season at an all-star level. Lawson continued his strong season Sunday night when he piled up 27 points and six assists to lead the Nuggets to a win over the Sacramento Kings. Denver has been one of the streakiest teams in the NBA this season and is currently just one game over .500. In order for Lawson to make it back to the playoffs, he'll have to continue to carry the Nuggets.
Tar Heel Injury Update
Tyler Hansbrough and Danny Green were outstanding players for the Tar Heels when they won a national championship in 2009, but currently, both players are on the shelf for their respective NBA teams because of injury. It was initially believed that Hansbrough had a sprained ankle, but it was recently reported that he has a bone bruise on his left ankle instead. Psycho-T has missed 13 games so far for the Toronto Raptors and his return date is uncertain.
Green broke a finger on his left hand on January 12 and was expected to miss about four weeks, meaning the shooting guard should be about two weeks away from making a return to the San Antonio Spurs lineup.
Harrison Barnes Struggles
Harrison Barnes was a strong contributor for the Golden State Warriors off the bench throughout the first few months of the season, but in January, the Iowa native has only averaged 6.7 points a game on 35 percent shooting from the field. Barnes' last five games have been particularly rough as he has gone 5-for-25 from the floor. Although Barnes has been struggling as of late, he was featured in this commercial for the Warriors: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2IbaZvyHgE
Game to Watch
The New York Knicks have struggled this season, but have shown some improvement in January thanks in part to Raymond Felton. Felton scored 20 points in a win over the Lakers on Sunday, and will have an interesting matchup Thursday night against former Duke Blue Devil Kyrie Irving and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Felton will also be going up against former Tar Heel Tyler Zeller in the game, which can be seen on TNT at 8 p.m. ET.
Statistics From Former Tar Heels
Harrison Barnes, Golden State SF - 10.4 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 1.5 apg
Reggie Bullock, Los Angeles Clippers SG - 2.4 ppg, 1.3 rpg, 0.2 apg
Vince Carter, Dallas SG - 11.3 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 2.8 apg
Ed Davis, Memphis PF - 7.4 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 0.8 bpg
Wayne Ellington, Dallas SG - 3.1 ppg, 0.9 rpg, 0.4 apg
Raymond Felton, New York PG - 10.7 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 5.5 apg
Danny Green, San Antonio SG - 7.4 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 1.3 apg
Tyler Hansbrough, Toronto PF - 5.5 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 0.3 bpg
John Henson, Milwaukee PF - 12.1 ppg, 8.2 rpg, 2.2 bpg
Antawn Jamison, Los Angeles Clippers PF - 3.6 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 0.1 bpg
Ty Lawson, Denver PG - 17.7 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 9.0 apg
Kendall Marshall, Los Angeles Lakers PG - 10.4 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 9.6 apg
Marvin Williams, Utah PF - 9.1 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 0.6 bpg
Brandan Wright, Dallas PF - 9.6 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 0.8 bpg
Tyler Zeller, Cleveland C - 4.1 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 0.5 bpg
