Nets face Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder tonight, the first of three ... - The Star-Ledger - NJ.com

Richard Rowe/US PresswireKevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder face the Nets at the Prudential Center tonight.

Hope the Nets enjoyed their day off Friday.

The first back-to-back-to-back of the season for Avery Johnson’s club starts tonight against Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and the rest of the Oklahoma City Thunder. And the Thunder figure to be rested and angry â€" they haven’t played since losing to the Washington Wizards on Wednesday.

Johnson acknowledged after the Nets’ practice Thursday that while his team would be focused on the Thunder tonight, they were well aware of their games against the Charlotte Bobcats on Sunday and at the Chicago Bulls on Monday.

And the coach, who played in back-to-back-to-back games after the last NBA lockout, back in 1999, understands how tough it is to get through three games in three nights.

“It was strange,” Johnson said of the experience, with his San Antonio Spurs team that won the title in ’99. “We had an older team, so I think the key for us was trying to manage more that second night to have a chance on the third night.”

Johnson was encouraged by seeing the Los Angeles Clippers win Wednesday in the third game of their back-to-back-to-back, which began with Monday’s victory over the Nets. The Clippers lost the second game in Utah, but beat Dallas in the third game when Chauncey Billups hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give them a 91-89 victory over the defending champions.

“At least that gives us hope,” Johnson said. “We’ll be focused (tonight) and when we get to that third game, we’ll get to it.”

It certainly helps that the Nets won their last game, 107-100 over Golden State on Wednesday night. That put them into a positive frame of mind as they entered their first two-day period without a game since the season started.

What may also help is that there may be some reinforcements coming at some point over the next three days. Johnson said small forwards Damion James (eight games missed with a sore right foot) and Shawne Williams (shin splints, right leg) would miss tonight’s game, but he suggested James might be available for Monday and Williams (three games missed so far) might be available Sunday.

Both players told reporters they were hoping to play tonight, but with DeShawn Stevenson’s tricky right knee unlikely to be able to handle three games in three nights, it might be good to have James and/or Williams coming back Sunday or Monday.

For James, his timing is less than perfect. He would love to play tonight against Durant, his close friend and former college teammate at Texas. As a small forward, James would have gotten to guard Durant one-on-one if he could play.

“He’s been saying a lot of things,” James said of Durant â€" whom he anticipated hanging out with Thursday night. “We play so much during the summer. Every day we work out together. But if I’m not 100 percent, I can’t try to get out there and guard that man.”

Colin Stephenson: cstephenson@starledger.com; twitter.com/Ledger_Nets