Nuggets’ second-leading scorer Gary Harris returned to action Monday night against Portland after missing the previous 11 games with a right knee sprain/strain.
Harris first entered the game at the 3:44 mark of the first quarter. Coach Michael Malone said during his pregame availability that Harris would come off the bench and play between 16 and 22 minutes in an effort to ease Harris back physically and keep continuity with a starting lineup that has anchored Denver’s five-game winning streak entering Monday. Will Barton averaged 18.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists while starting in Harris’ place over those 11 games, including a 31-point effort in Saturday’s win over the Clippers.
“I would temper the expectations on (Harris’) effectiveness tonight,” Malone said before the game. “… By no means will we try to overdo it with him and risk injuring his knee or making him uncomfortable out there.”
But Harris’ return gives a final boost to Denver’s playoff push with one regular-season game remaining in a tight Western Conference playoff race. The Nuggets entered Monday tied with Minnesota for the eighth and final postseason spot.
“Gary’s an important part (of our team),” Malone said. “If we are able to win out and make the playoffs, Gary Harris would be a very important piece in the postseason. The faster we can get him back getting game minutes, I think it’s only going to help him.”
Harris, who entered Monday averaging 17.7 points and 1.8 steals per game while shooting 39.9 percent from 3-point range, sustained the injury when he landed awkwardly on his right leg after being fouled on a made dunk late in the fourth quarter of a March 15 home win against Detroit. The timetable for his return had consistently been pushed back throughout his recovery, and coach Michael Malone said prior to Saturday’s win at the Clippers that the Nuggets were preparing to play the rest of the regular season without Harris.
But since then, the Nuggets’ medical staff was encouraged by how Harris looked while going through 3-on-3 contact work Sunday and during a Monday-morning evaluation. Malone said he would monitor how Harris moved laterally on defense during Monday’s game.
