Devin Harris is going to have an MRI exam today on his left knee, a test that has Nets coach Avery Johnson worried.
The Nets’ point guard went down after teammate Kris Humphries landed on him during a third-quarter collision in the Knicks’ 111-100 win last night at the Garden, and his immediate future is unclear.
Harris said he was fairly unconcerned about missing any extended time, but he did admit the MRI exam is needed to ensure he didn’t tear his meniscus.
But the coach feels otherwise.
“We are concerned,” Johnson said. “We’ll have to see how it goes. But MRI [exam today], and we’re just hoping and praying for some good news.”
This is just another blow for the 6-12 Nets, who likely will suffer if Harris is out for an extended period. He’s averaging 17.7 points and 6.6 assists, and though Jordan Farmar is a solid backup, he’s not Harris. If Harris is out, third-stringer Ben Uzoh could become Farmar’s backup.
“Devin is a guy that we rely on heavily,” Johnson said. “In a sense, it’s kind of like if [the Knicks] lose [Amar’e] Stoudemire.”
Despite the concern, Harris sounded optimistic.
“[The knee] feels pretty good,” he said. “We’re going to do an MRI [today] to rule out a meniscus tear. Can’t really rule anything out till then. It’s a little bit stiff right now but all in all, it’s not too bad. I’m not that worried. The doctor said it was pretty stable when he was doing his little knee [exam].”
The injury happened with 6:20 to go in the third as Wilson Chandler was driving for a layup. Humphries crashed down on Harris at the end of the action, and Harris said, his “knee just kind of buckled a little bit.”
Harris lay face down on the court under the basket, with Johnson and trainer Tim Walsh tending to him. Eventually, he was helped off the court, walking slowly with assistance.
Think Harris’ absence hurt the Nets? When he went down, the Knicks were up 67-65, and they then closed the quarter with a 21-8 run and were never challenged in the fourth.
Harris, who missed 18 games last year with groin, wrist and shoulder woes, will at least be sidelined tonight against the Thunder.
“Because if it’s not what we think it possibly is, then it may be a strain, and we don’t foresee him playing on a strained knee [tonight],” Johnson said.
— Additional reporting by Fred Kerber