UNC Basketball: Harrison Barnes continues torrent pace in Sacramento
Harrison Barnes, a former UNC basketball standout and 10-year NBA veteran, is putting up career numbers in Sacramento this season.
Harrison Barnes spent a combined nine years with the Warriors, Mavericks and Kings prior to the 2021-22 season, and never did the former Tar Heel begin one of them on the torrent pace that he’s currently on.
On Wednesday night, Barnes scored 23 points for the second consecutive game en route to a 112-99 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans. He took just eight shots for the game, but connected on five of them, and hit 4-of-6 from three-point range. Despite shooting the ball fewer times than in any of his previous seven games this season, Barnes made a living at the free throw line where he connected on 9-of-10 attempts. He also pulled down a team-high eight rebounds, dished out three assists and logged a game-high 39 minutes on the court.
https://twitter.com/SacramentoKings/status/1456131716922363906
It was Barnes’ sixth 20-point game in the past two weeks, and the fifth time that he’s led the Kings in scoring this season. It was also the sixth time this season that Barnes has pulled down at least eight rebounds, and he’s yet to record less than six in any one game. And his hot hand from beyond the arc has him shooting a career-best 47.3 percent on his three-point attempts.
All in all, Barnes is averaging 23.3 points, 9.5 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game. His points per game are good for 21st in the league, while his rebounds currently rank 22nd. And his PER (Player Efficiency Rating) is among the top 20 in the NBA. Thanks, in large part, to Barnes’ terrific play early-on this season, the Kings are off to a 4-4 start, and sit just one game behind the Los Angeles Lakers in the Pacific standings.
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