PHILADELPHIA — It was a tough month for Jason Kidd without Raymond Felton. Last night, it was a tough night with Felton.
Felton wasn’t sharp in his return from a monthlong absence because of a broken right pinkie. He finished 2-for-8 for eight points with three assists and two turnovers and was toasted on defense by the Sixers’ Jrue Holiday in the Knicks’ 97-80 loss.
“I missed shots I normally make,’’ Felton said. “I was still a little rusty. My timing is not back yet.’’
Kidd decided to play after suffering back spasms Thursday in Boston, and it was a mistake. He played just 14:57, went scoreless in an 0-for-3 night and, yes, was toasted by Jrue Holiday, who scored a game-high 35 points. Kidd spent much of the fourth quarter in the locker room, getting treatment for his back.
“When I saw the game was out of reach, there was no sense trying to make something out of nothing,’’ coach Mike Woodson said. “So I told him to get treatment and get ready for [tonight’s game against the Hawks].’’
Kidd started with Felton and Iman Shumpert in a three-guard alignment that didn’t work.
“Raymond was a little rusty,’’ Woodson said. ‘He’ll get back. … We can’t base anything on one game.’’
Felton wanted to play in the late stages, but he got hacked on the hand with 3:00 left and appeared shaken up. He went to the free-throw line, but Woodson made a motion to insert Pablo Prigioni.
“It hurt a little, but [it] went away fast,’’ Felton said. “That was a good sign.”
The burden of being the full-time starting point guard led him to more minutes and less efficiency for Kidd, who admitted before the game the last month was taxing.
“I haven’t guarded the ball and ran the point for some time,’’ Kidd said at the morning shootaround. “[In Dallas], I had J.J. [Barea] or Jason Terry. I initiated the offense, but I didn’t have to guard the ball. This was a throwback for me back to Jersey when I did both.’’
Kidd is averaging 1.9 steals and just 1.33 turnovers.
* Marcus Camby probably will not return in the initial 2-to-4 week timetable. Camby, who had a walking boot removed Thursday, said he believes he still is 2-3 weeks away from running on the court. He re-aggravated plantar fasciitis two weeks ago in Indiana.
* Rookie Chris Copeland, who was benched the past couple of games after Woodson questioned his practice habits, was inserted in the second half with the game out of hand and played 16:38.
* Sixers coach Doug Collins left the bench to be examined in the third quarter and didn’t return. The diagnosis was a blocked nasal passage and sinus infection.