NBA

Nets forward Humphries handled Clippers star Griffin

A quick look at the stats from the Nets’ thrilling 101-100 win over the Clippers at Prudential Center on Wednesday night would lead you to believe Blake Griffin blew Kris Humphries off the floor.

Though Griffin finished with 28 points and 17 rebounds, compared to 12 and 11 for Humphries, it was Humphries’ defense on Griffin in the fourth quarter that helped secure a vital win for the Nets, one they hope to build on tonight when they head to Charlotte to face the hapless Bobcats.

“He’s a physical player,” Humphries said after the game. “He’s getting up there and trying to dunk on you every single time, and at some point you’ve got to either give in or try to challenge him.”

Griffin, as he usually does, got his fair share of spectacular dunks, converting on a number of alley-oops, an impressive tip dunk and a powerful reverse slam over Humphries.

But Humphries exacted a measure of revenge later in the game, when Griffin tried to convert an alley-oop from Chris Paul only to have Humphries emphatically block him, and send the ball flying out of bounds.

“I needed that,” Humphries said. “That felt good, and I think we fed off that and kept it going.”

Even in an intense, physical game, that play stood out to Humphries’ teammates.

“I thought it was very impressive,” Deron Williams said. “[Griffin had] challenged him a couple times, and that time he got the best of him.”

With starting center Brook Lopez sidelined for all but five games with foot injuries this season, the Nets have spent much of the season with Humphries and Shelden Williams manning the power forward and center spots on the floor, leaving the Nets smaller than most of their opponents.

But that hasn’t stopped Humphries from proving last year’s breakout season, when he was one of six players to average a double-double with 10.0 points and 10.4 rebounds, wasn’t a fluke. The eighth-year pro is averaging a career-high 13.1 points, 10.5 rebounds and 1.2 blocks.

“We know inside, we’re challenged a little bit, especially without Lopez,” Nets coach Avery Johnson said. “We’re giving up a lot of size and height and athleticism, but our guys make up for it with heart.”

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The Nets officially signed small forward Gerald Green to a second 10-day contract. … The team also continues to monitor the Dwight Howard situation as Thursday’s 3 p.m. trade deadline approaches.