Andrea Bargnani may have missed the entire preseason, but he was clearly available for Wednesday’s regular-season opening loss to the Bulls.
Bargnani played 22 minutes in Brooklyn’s 115-100 defeat, finishing with 17 points, seven rebounds, a steal and a block coming off the bench.
“Obviously I was very upset about not playing during the preseason, so I was really looking forward to tonight,” Bargnani said. “It was great to be back on the court.”
Bargnani even played for a long stretch of the fourth quarter next to Brook Lopez, a pairing coach Lionel Hollins said this month he wants to get a look at.
“The game rhythm took me a couple minutes,” Bargnani said. “I was a little rusty at the beginning, but other than that I felt pretty good.”
Bargnani also had the lowlight of the night late in the third quarter when he caught the ball at the top of the key, pump-faked and then shot an airball.
After making it through the Nets’ week-long training camp healthy, Bargnani was diagnosed with a tight left hamstring Oct. 5, the morning of the team’s preseason opener. The Italian 7-footer then missed all six of the team’s preseason games because of the injury, with no clear indication whether he would be back in time for the start of the season.
He practiced the previous few days, though, and seemed to have few effects from the time off.
The Nets honored slain NYPD officer Randolph Holder by wearing hats and T-shirts with the NYPD insignia before the game.
“As people that have a platform, it’s always important to be social and civic minded,” said Hollins, who wore a NYPD hat to his pregame press conference. “We don’t have to make big political statements, but you just support the people who serve us and protect us. The NYPD and the Fire Department and everyone who is in this city … they are a part of our community, and it’s important to let everybody know that we do care.
“We are sensitive to things that go on in the community. Even though we may not attached that tightly to parts of the community … we’re privileged to have the opportunity to live in different areas, but there’s a lot going on in the city that we’re concerned about as a group.”
There was also a moment of silence prior to the game to honor Holder, who was shot and killed near an East Harlem housing project on Oct. 20.