NBA

Carter: J.R. ‘just joking’ with headband pull

It was just a joke.

At least that’s the way J.R. Smith’s headband tug seems to the Mavericks’ Vince Carter.

Early in the fourth quarter of Monday’s Knicks-Mavericks game, which Dallas won 110-108 on a Dirk Nowitzki buzzer-beater, Smith reached out and tugged Carter’s headband, pulling it over his left ear while Carter smiled.

Smith denied it happened, despite video evidence to the contrary.

“What’s the drama? It was just funny to me,” Carter said Wednesday at Mavericks practice, according to ESPNDallas.com. “It was just one of those things. He’s a good friend. It didn’t bother me.

“I hear everybody making a big deal about it, but he didn’t pull it over my eyes where I couldn’t see or play the game, so it wasn’t a big deal. I know because it’s him it’s an issue, but I’ve known him for a long time. He didn’t want me making any more shots. He was just joking.”

Joke or not, the headband tug is the latest prank that Smith has pulled this season.

Last month, also against the Mavericks, he untied the shoelaces of the Shawn Marion while the two were next to each other on the free-throw line, an act that drew a warning from the league. Unbelievably, two nights later, at the Garden, Smith playfully attempted to untie the shoelaces of the Pistons’ Greg Monroe while standing next to him on the free-throw line.

The NBA didn’t take kindly to Smith ignoring their warning, docking him $50,000.

Although he has played better lately, this season has still been a rough one for Smith, as he’s averaging only 12.9 points per game on 38.7 percent shooting. Last season, when he won the Sixth Man of the Year award, he averaged 18.1 points per game on 42.2 percent shooting, while posting a career-high 5.3 rebounds per game.