Tuesday, March 25, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.
The smile on Del Harris' face early in the fourth quarter had more to do with rookie Travis Knight than the Los Angeles Lakers' big lead over the New Jersey Nets.
Just seconds earlier, Knight had grabbed a rebound and slammed it home.
"He's back," Harris said in comments seemingly directed at the Lakers' announcers courtside. "He's back."
Knight matched career highs with 18 points and four blocks and he came within one of his best for rebounds with 14, leading the Lakers to a 109-84 win over the Nets at East Rutherford in the only NBA game Monday night.
Nick Van Exel scored 23 points, and the Lakers held New Jersey to 13 second-half field goals in officially eliminating the Nets (21-47) from playoff contention for the third straight year.
Knight's re-emergence after 14 straight single-digit scoring performances was the big bright spot for the Lakers, who avoided their first three-game losing streak of the season.
"He got out of his little shell and played great," Van Exel said.
Knight, who has been upset with his lack of playing time, got more against the Nets because Corie Blount got in foul trouble. He made the most of it, hitting eight of 12 field-goal attempts.
"I needed it, I think, and we needed it as a team to end the road trip on a solid note," Knight said. "Everybody gets in a little funk, but I knew it was not permanent."
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