"As it turns out, the reason Devin Harris took only three shots in Wednesday's thrilling 103-101 overtime victory over the New Orleans Hornets at Prudential Center was because the point guard was seriously under the weather the whole night.

"I didn't want to tell you guys this before the game, because I was holding out,'' Nets coach Avery Johnson revealed today after the Nets' shootaround at Time Warner Cable Arena. "We didn't think he was going to make it. Because he came to the arena (Wednesday) with a seriously high fever (and) stomach virus. He was laid out on the couch before the game, and I was going up to the (6 p.m.) deadline with the inactive list, until 5:55 (uncertain) whether he was going to play. But fortunately, he gutted it out, made it. But he wasn't feeling that well.''

Harris, the starting point guard, shot 1-for-3 and had just two points in 31:55 in the game, handing out six assists and committing four turnovers. With Jordan Farmar returning to the team after missing six games with a back strain, and with Farmar playing well, Johnson subbed in Farmar for Harris with 56.7 seconds left in regulation and the Nets down five, 91-86. Farmar hit a 3-pointer to pull the Nets within 91-89, and Harris returned after that play and played the entire overtime. He seemed very reserved in the postgame locker room, but never let on that he was ill."