NBA

HARRIS RETURNS, BUT NETS CAN’T STOP LAKERS

The Nets got Devin Harris back from a five-game absence. They dumped the beyond-struggling Yi Jianlian not just from the starting lineup, but from the rotation for Ryan Anderson. Then they saw Kobe Bryant finish the game on a sprained right ankle, shooting just 5-of-19.

In the end last night, none of that mattered. That’s because the game mattered to the Lakers.

The Lakers overcame Bryant’s shooting plus the Nets’ lineup shuffles and clinched the No. 1 seed in the West behind 36 points and 11 rebounds from Pau Gasol points to further dampen the Nets’ playoff hopes in the East with a 103-95 victory at the Meadowlands.

The Nets (30-42), who rallied from 22 points down in the third quarter to get within three in the fourth despite finishing with 22 turnovers, ended up 4½ games out of the eighth spot with 10 games remaining

“We’re running out of time for these consolation prizes,” coach Lawrence Frank said.

“Most definitely,” agreed Harris (13 points, season high-tying 14 assists, 4-of-13 shooting), who said his sprained left shoulder felt a “little weak” but “held up” in the game. “We have 10 games left. It can be done.”

The Lakers (58-14), in the game that Phil Jackson passed Pat Riley for most games coached in franchise history (728), snuffed the Nets in the third quarter. The Nets had fought back from 14 points down into a 57-all tie when the roof, ceiling and support beams collapsed on them. The Lakers ran off a devastating 24-2 run in just 5:32. Bryant (14 points, nine assists — scoreless in the fourth quarter), scored 12 of the points, hitting three triples. The third put L.A. up 81-59.

“It’s a little deflating, but that’s the type of player he is. He goes at his own pace,” said Jarvis Hayes (19 points, 11 in the fourth quarter).

The Nets, who got a 16-point, 10-rebound effort from Brook Lopez, replied with their own streak, a 24-5 run, capped by Hayes’ trey with 6:31 left. The Nets were again within three, 93-90, on a Hayes 3-pointer at 2:19. But Lamar Odom (12 points, 11 rebounds) grabbed a huge offensive rebound over Vince Carter and scored to start a 10-5 Lakers finish that included eight Gasol points.

“I boxed him out and he went up in the air and I got a hand on it, he got a hand on it twice,” said Carter (20 points).

Bryant left the court with 52.2 seconds remaining in the first half. Harris drew a charge on the Lakers’ MVP candidate and the two went down tangling their feet.

“It’s sore now,” Bryant said of his ankle. “We have to stay on top of it.”

Anderson, despite 2-of-7 shooting, rewarded the start that even Harris said was “merited.” He had nine rebounds in 23 minutes.

As for Yi, barring injuries, it will be difficult for him to get back in the rotation.

“It’s hard for me right now. I know what’s happening. I must be professional,” said Yi, who in 18 games after the All-Star break, coinciding with his return from a broken pinkie suffered Jan. 9, averaged 6.0 points and shot .357 (40-of-112). “Confidence getting low. Sometimes I sit by myself and think about it too much. Got to work hard.”

fred.kerber@nypost.com

Lakers 103 Nets 95