--F Eduardo Najera, who signed a four-year contract two summers ago, played 12 minutes Friday. It was the first time Najera played since Jan. 31. His initial season in New Jersey was plagued by assorted injuries, ended in March by sports hernia surgery.

--C Brook Lopez was coming off a monster game: 27 points, 15 rebounds. And he ran into a monster, Dwight Howard, who forced him into foul trouble and an 11-point, five-rebound night Friday.

"I picked up a few fouls early. I think that hurt us and got me in a bit of a funk I wasn't really able to recover from," Lopez said.

--F Jarvis Hayes thought the worst when he began hobbling after just 2:20 Wednesday night in the season opener. He thought tear in the left hamstring so he was relieved when additional tests determined it was a strain. Still, he's out for 2-3 weeks.

"I did (think it was torn) but thankfully it's not," said Hayes. "It's not as bad as I originally thought. But 2-3 weeks for me is still a significant amount of time."

MEDICAL WATCH:

--F Jarvis Hayes left Wednesday's game after just 2:20 with a left hamstring injury. Although the Nets feared worse, an additional exam revealed a strain, not a tear. Still, Hayes is out for 2-3 weeks.

--G Keyon Dooling (hip surgery rehab) underwent an arthroscopic procedure after last season. He is working his way back and has targeted mid to late November for his return.

--F/C Tony Battie underwent an MRI on his sore right knee this week and no structural damage was found. But Battie will seek a second opinion next week as to a course of action regarding his recovery. There is no timetable for a return.