As Devin Harris made his return on Sunday afternoon, the Nets were able to breathe a sigh of relief. As Kris Humphries fell on top of him on Tuesday night in New York, it appeared as though the Nets could be without their starting point guard for some time. Luckily, the MRI revealed only a knee strain, and Harris was back in action after missing just two games.
The Celtics, meanwhile, were without their point guard, Rajon Rondo, on Sunday afternoon. After only 12 minutes of play, center Shaquille O’Neal also went down with an injury, missing the remainder of the game. Advantage, Nets, right? It didn’t play out that way, as Boston dominated New Jersey 100-75 at the Prudential Center.
The Celtics dug deeply into their bench and lived up to their reputation as one of the league’s deepest squads, finishing with 42 bench points and five players in double figures. Nate Robinson, starting in place of Rondo, led the way with 21 points. Starters Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen each added 13, while Glen Davis and Marquis Daniels scored 16 and 10 off the bench, respectively. The game was decided so early that Garnett, Allen and Paul Pierce all played 27 minutes or less.
The blowout nature of the game also gave the Nets’ starters plenty of rest, with none logging more than 24 minutes. Jordan Farmar led New Jersey with 16 points and three steals. Anthony Morrow and Derrick Favors were the only other Nets in double-figures, finishing with 10 points each on a day where New Jersey shot just 37.5 percent from the field. Leading scorer Brook Lopez, who’s been logging plenty of minutes recently, played just 21 minutes and finished with five points.
In his return, Harris scored seven points and dished out three assists while tallying four turnovers in 24 minutes. Avery Johnson indicated before the game that Harris was not yet back at 100 percent, so anything he was able to give on Sunday would be a bonus.
The Nets will start a two game southern road swing on Tuesday when they pay a visit to the Atlanta Hawks.