Nets’ Big 3 expected to end three-month absence Saturday

<p>NEW YORK &mdash; Brooklyn’s Big Three is set to play together for the first time in three months.</p>
<p>Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden are all expected to play Saturday when the Nets host the Chicago Bulls.</p>
<p>“I think tomorrow will be the day. So if everything stays the same, then those three will play tomorrow,” coach Steve Nash said Friday.</p>
<p>The three All-Stars have played in the same game just seven times since the Nets acquired Harden from Houston in mid-January. going 5-2.</p>
<p>They haven’t been together since a Feb. 13 victory at Golden State. Durant then missed the next 23 games with a left hamstring injury.</p>
<p>Harden just returned Wednesday from his own 18-game absence with a right hamstring injury, but Irving missed that game with a facial contusion. He had no concussion symptoms and is set to return Saturday.</p>
<p>“I think if they can play together tomorrow, it’s positive,” Nash said. “They got a chance to be out there together. Whether it’s good, bad or indifferent from a performance standpoint, it is an experience.” </p>
<p>The Nets end their regular season Sunday against Cleveland. Nash said the lineups for that game could depend on the standings, where the Nets are a game up on Milwaukee for the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference.</p>
<hr />
<p>More AP NBA coverage: <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/NBA">https://apnews.com/hub/NBA</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/AP_Sports">https://twitter.com/AP_Sports</a></p>