SACRAMENTO — The Nets got a much-needed boost when Gerald Wallace finally returned to the lineup in last night’s 99-90 win over the Kings.
Wallace, who finished with four points, a rebound and three assists in 24:30, started and played for the first time since spraining his left ankle in the final minute of the Nets’ season-opening win over the Raptors at Barclays Center on Nov. 3, and made it through the game without incident.
“I’m good,” Wallace said. “I’m ready to go, but whatever he wants me to do, I’m down with it. We’re early in the season, so obviously they want to be cautious with it, so we’ll see how I feel tomorrow from this game and go from there.”
Coach Avery Johnson said the plan going into the game was to get Wallace into the game for four six-minute bursts, to try to get him to about 24 minutes, and Johnson was happy with how things went.
“Just a little rusty,” Johnson said. “[He had] a couple of turnovers there that he normally doesn’t make, but the gameplan was four six-minute bursts, to get him to 24 minutes.”
“We were right there and he was still competing defensively. His lateral quickness is not quite there yet, but every day he’s gonna get better and better, but it was great having him in uniform.”
* The Nets got a scare late in the first quarter when Deron Williams took a spill after making a nice pass to Andray Blatche and injuring his right arm.
“It was where the court stops, so I kind of slammed on the concrete and hit up against a chair, and I got a cut on my arm,” Williams said afterward. “It’s pretty sore, but hopefully it’ll get better.”
Williams got up holding his arm, and was immediately subbed out of the game and attended to on the Nets bench by athletic trainer Tim Walsh. Williams was attended to on the bench, where he had ice on his arm, as well as his right ankle area, which bothered him in Thursday’s 102-97 win over the Celtics.
But Williams looked fine upon returning to the game in the second quarter, and finished with 14 points and 10 assists.
“The calf’s sore, too,” Williams said. “I’m a little sore everywhere right now … just some bumps and bruises. It’s normal. That’s how the season goes.”