Harris may miss rest of the regular season

LOS ANGELES» Gary Harris went through individual on-court work at Staples Center on Saturday afternoon, running from corner to corner and shooting from all over the floor before the Nuggets’ 134115 victory over the Clippers.

But Harris missed his 11th consecutive game with a right knee injury, and with only two regularseason games left, coach Michael Malone said the Nuggets must hold the mind-set that their second-leading scorer will not return.

“Right now, I’m not expecting Gary Harris back,” Malone said during his pregame media availability. “We have to continue to find ways to win games and compete at a high level with the players that are available, and Gary’s not on that list right now. He’s working very hard and if that changes, then we’ll be ready to adjust.”

Harris, who is averaging 17.7 points and 1.8 steals per game while shooting 39.9 percent from 3-point range, suffered 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 has consistently been pushed back throughout his recovery.

Will Barton, who exploded for 31 points in Saturday’s win, has averaged 18.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists starting in Harris’ place over the past 11 games.

Sharing is caring. When asked about the stat that stood out most in Saturday’s victory, Malone immediately focused on Denver’s 36 assists that “generated great shots.” That tied for Denver’s fourth-most this season, but it was a higher total than the Nuggets’ 33 rebounds — something Malone said he had “never seen before.”

All five Nuggets starters totaled at least three assists, led by Nikola Jokic’s 11 and Jamal Murray’s seven. Devin Harris contributed five in 23 minutes off the bench.

“The ball was really flying,” said Barton, who finished with three assists and 31 points. “Guys were just trying to make plays for one another and find the open man. When we’re swinging the ball like that, it’s hard to contain, because we’ve got so many guys that can score and make plays.”

Boban contained. Clippers 7foot-3 big man Boban Marjanovic was the catalyst of their Feb. 27 win in Denver, racking up 18 points and six rebounds in 15 second-half minutes.

Not surprisingly, Clippers coach Doc Rivers turned to Marjanovic earlier in Saturday’s contest. The coach first inserted Marjanovic at the beginning of the second quarter, then put him back in when the Clippers fell behind by 13 points late in the third quarter. But the Nuggets did a much better job containing Marjanovic, although he still finished with nine points and eight rebounds in 10 minutes.

“He didn’t surprise us,” Jokic said.