Nets need Joe Harris to heat up on three-pointers

It largely went unnoticed because the Nets scored a road win over the Heat Tuesday night, but that was the game in which Joe Harris’ streak of games with a made three-pointer ended at 32 with an 0-for-5 performance from beyond the arc. His streak ranks as the second-longest in franchise history behind Joe Johnson’s 37-game streak in 2014.

Harris struggled again during a Thanksgiving eve loss in Dallas with a 1-for-7 performance from beyond the arc, but if there was a silver lining to the Nets’ loss to the Timberwolves on Friday, it was that Harris regained his shooting touch with 18 points, including a 4-for-10 effort from three-point range in a team-high 34 minutes. It should have been no surprise because Harris leads the NBA in three-point shooting at home at 56.1 percent.

“I take a lot of the same shots, regardless of the game,” Harris said after the loss. “Sometimes I make four, sometimes, I miss seven. I still take them with the same amount of confidence like I’ve made 10 in a row. That’s what I’m out there to do — shoot the ball, space the floor. If I’m not shooting, I’m not doing my role to help the team win.”

That role will be critical when the Nets face the new-look 76ers with Jimmy Butler on Sunday evening at Barclays Center. The Nets drubbed the 76ers by 25 points in their previous meeting this season at Barclays Center. They forced Philadelphia into an NBA season-high 28 turnovers that resulted in 39 Nets points and  scored a season-high 70 points in the paint.

Since that game, the 76ers acquired All-Star shooting guard Butler from the Timberwolves in exchange for starters Dario Saric and Robert Covington. They are 4-2 with Butler, who is averaging a modest 18.0 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.8 steals. Center Joel Embiid and point guard Ben Simmons remain dominant scorers, but Butler already has hit a game-winning shot in overtime at Charlotte.

Now that the 76ers have increased their firepower, it will be critical for the Nets to get strong performances from Harris and Allen Crabbe, especially from three-point range. One of those two also will be tasked with the job of covering Butler and the other will have his hands full with three-point specialist JJ Redick. Harris is more physical and could end up on Butler.

One key on offense will be limiting turnovers, as they did the last time the Nets faced the 76ers. Speaking of the problems the Nets had in their Friday matinee loss to the Timberwolves, Harris said, “Just of valuing the ball, honestly. We have to take more pride in taking care of it, just not being lackadaisical. Make sure you’re making sure passes.”

Now that Butler is on the wing for the 76ers, it’s clear the Nets will need a comparable performance from Harris, who believes he has regained his rhythm.

“I got good looks when I was missing these last few games,” he said. “It’s just about staying consistent with it and taking the shots when they’re there and not passing them up.”

By Greg Logan

Gregory.Logan@newsday.comGregLogan1

Greg Logan has worked for Newsday since 1982 covering a wide array of sports and events, currently including the Brooklyn Nets beat.