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Harris Explodes as Nets Romp in Kidd's Return Dec. 19, 2008 by Ben Couch - NJNETS.COM |
East Rutherford, N.J. — Before Friday's game against the Dallas Mavericks tipped off, the New Jersey Nets honored their past, announcing Jason Kidd first. The gesture gave the the IZOD Center crowd a chance to praise the point guard who led their team to two NBA Finals appearances, and the fans began clapping before his name was enunciated. The standing ovation lasted long enough to roar with a second wind.
But the boos began with Josh Howard's introduction, and from that point forward, the game was all about the Nets now on the roster. Devin Harris, whom New Jersey acquired by trading Kidd to Dallas, racked up game-high totals of 41 points and 13 assists as the Nets cruised to a 121-97 victory. It was their second win in three games and fifth in 13 at home.
"You always feel good for a guy that's been traded," said Nets coach Lawrence Frank. "There's always a little something extra in the tank. At the end of the day, I think all Devin really cares about is the win -- that's the way we're all evaluated. But to have the type of game that he had, you feel real good for him. I'm sure the guys wanted to give everything they could so he could get the W."
Harris scored with the panache he's shown all season, sinking 14 of 25 attempts and shooting a perfect 8-of-8 at the line. And he did it with surprisingly few layups, only putting up six (making four).
Dallas committed to going underneath screeners, and Harris punished the Mavericks from the outside. He entered the game shooting only .315 (17-for-54) from three, but nailed five of nine triples. His teammates helped pile on, hitting nine of 17 threes, but any night Harris shoots better than 50 percent on jumpers (10-for-19) is likely to be an impressive one for the Nets' offense.
That the performance came against his former team left Harris smiling, even as he tried to temper the revenge angle. Kidd finished with 17 points, seven assists and four rebounds.
"It wasn't really a personal matchup," Harris said. "I don't have a vendetta or anything like that. It didn't really matter who we played. Yeah, there was added emotion when you looked at the jersey, but we needed a home win more than anything to get back on track."
Kidd's take: "He got going early. The plan was to make him shoot. He’s been doing it all season. He got going and got those going. Anytime we made a run they answered with a three."
When Harris wasn't lighting up Dallas defenders, Vince Carter was carrying the load. One of three current Nets to have played alongside Kidd, Carter nearly logged a triple-double, dropping 34 points, 10 rebounds and six assists.
Carter proved particularly useful during the final three minutes of the opening period, when Nets Frank subbed out Harris after a 15-point outburst. Carter assisted a layup coming out of a timeout, dropped in a pair of free throws and made two of three jumpers before finishing the eight-point flurry with a layup.
"Devin did a great job of getting it started," Carter said. "When he took a rest, I took it upon myself just to be aggressive. I wasn't trying to put up as many points as possible, but just be aggressive in getting to the basket, getting to the free-throw line, getting some movement. That's something that hasn't happened when we've made that sub before, so I took it upon myself to do so."
The Nets almost broke away early in the second behind a strong stretch from reserve forward Ryan Anderson, who finished with three points and five rebounds. During the first 5 1/2 minutes of the quarter, he hit a triple and snagged four rebounds, each time igniting a break as New Jersey's lead grew to 10.
But Kidd and Nowitzki re-entered the game and Dallas trimmed the lead to two with 3 1/2 minutes remaining in the half. On the next possession, Carter hit a driving layup with a man on him to kick off a 14-3 rally to close, leaving for the locker room with a 64-51 advantage. Harris and Carter each hit a three during the run.
During the third quarter -- a period in which slow starts have doomed several home losses -- the Nets were buoyed by the resurgence of Yi Jianlian, who hit more baskets in one period (four) than he had in the past three games (three). The breakthrough moment came two minutes in, when Devin Harris drove and kicked it to Yi for a long jumper, one possession after the same decision led to an airball. Visibly more confident in his J, the second-year big nailed his next four perimeter shots.
Though Yi finished with 16 points, he impressed in the first half by contributing off the ball, despite shooting only 1-of-5 before intermission. He stayed in the game for 17 first-half minutes because he was working hard on defense and rebounding well, grabbing six boards (10 total).
Jarvis Hayes provided a boost off the bench, slotting in as the backup swingman after a hamstring strain kept him sidelined for four games. Hayes was active on defense and wetted two of three three-pointers. He finished with 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting, looking every bit the smooth marksman he was before the injury.
"It's like riding a bike!" Hayes said. "I couldn't run, but I was shooting. I'm never going to stop shooting."
NOTE: Bobby Simmons is questionable for Saturday's game against Miami after aggravating a left shoulder strain.
