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Patty Mills hopes to come back to Brooklyn after the All-Star break as champion of the 3-Point Contest. Could the Nets be getting a former 3-point champ back shortly after that as well?
Joe Harris has been sidelined since Nov. 14, and his agent told The Post there was a chance he could need a second left ankle surgery. But coach Steve Nash said it’s feasible that Harris could be ready to return to the court in some fashion for practice after the break, to judge whether that procedure can be avoided.
“We’ll see. It’s possible,” Nash said. “I couldn’t say so right now.”
Harris had arthroscopic surgery on Nov. 29, involving the removal of a loose body by team orthopedist Dr. Martin O’Malley.
Mills had 22 points and hit 5 of 7 from deep in Thursday’s 117-103 loss to the Wizards.
Mills said he spoke to the former champ Harris about what to expect in the 3-Point Contest. Mills is considered a betting favorite in this weekend’s event and is looking forward to the experience.
“I think it’s going to be totally different, so I’m going to have to feel it out and see how it goes,” Mills said. “From what I’ve been hearing, it is a different beast, I guess, from what you’re used to in a game but looking forward to it. I’m just going to have some fun and try to enjoy the process.”
After a dominant effort on the glass Wednesday against the Knicks, Andre Drummond had six points and nine rebounds in 18 minutes on Thursday.
He and Nash have said a key is getting the veteran center’s conditioning up to speed so he can handle starter’s minutes. Drummond had been riding the bench behind Joel Embiid in Philadelphia.
“Tired. Tired. Coming from a different situation, coming off the bench and playing limited minutes, to playing the minutes I normally used to play, just get myself back in that playing shape again,” Drummond said. “From the moment I’ve got here, I condition in the morning and I condition after the game. So by the time the break is over, I should be back to normal again. Just getting myself back in that speed and that mode again.
“Before shootaround I do conditioning on the treadmill, run or get on the bike. After games like after this I’m going back on the treadmill again. So just getting back in that mode like I said earlier, and being able to play those minutes everybody knows I can.”
James Johnson, Kevin Durant, Ben Simmons and Kyrie Irving were all out.
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