Gary Harris could be the ‘X’ factor in the Nuggets-Spurs series

While Gary Harris was in street clothes, DeMar DeRozan averaged 22.5 points and 6.0 rebounds in the first two meetings between the Denver Nuggets and San Antonio Spurs during the regular season. In both tilts that watched Harris active and in the scrum, the All-Star wing’s averages dipped to 17.5 and 3.5, respectively.

Coincidence?

Not on Pop’s life.

“DeRozan, he’s an All-Star, he knows how to play, he’s been around this league for a while,” Harris told The Post before Game 1 of the Nuggets-Spurs first-round NBA Playoff series at the Pepsi Center on Saturday night. “And they have a whole lot of hungry guards so it’s going to be a challenge for all of us. But we’re up for it. ”

Harris says he’s up for it, too, having dressed for the Nuggets’ last 25 regular season games directly after missing 25, or almost half (44 percent), of the first 57 tilts.

Unlike most of his teammates, the regular season was one Harris — the Nuggets’ 24-year-old off guard and defensive stopper — could just as soon forget, as a series of nagging injuries sapped the former Michigan State standout’s explosiveness when averaging 12.9 points, 1.4 treys and 1.0 steals, down from 17.5, 2.3 and 1.8 the year before.

After Harris tweaked a hamstring the die was cast. November? Two games with ankle soreness. December? 11 games due to a bum right hip. January? Five that are out competitions with tightness in his hamstring. February? Seven tilts due to an adductor strain. When Harris is correct, he pesters defenders how a cat pesters a toy mouse, wearing floor burns as badges of honor. However, it’s gets tougher to sacrifice your body in the back of your head, which part of it will fail you next, for the cause when you start wondering.

“It’s just gradual,” Harris said of the healing procedure. “I’m just trying to take it one game at a time. Trust the process. ”

No. 14 says he’s rolling at close to 100 percent for the postseason, but the accumulation of nicks seemed to show him up — and slow him up, especially on drives to the rim — down the stretch. Harris averaged 14.8 points and 29.9 minutes before the All-Star break but just 10.6 points and 27.4 minutes per game afterwards. Going into Game 1 of the Spurs series, the veteran had averaged 11.7 points per contest over his past six regular-season appearances but misfired on 15 of his latest 18 attempts from beyond the arc.

“I mean, I feel great,” said Harris, who was placed on a moments restriction by trainer Michael Malone immediately after the All-Star break and eased back into the rotation. “My leg feels great. I look forward to being a part of the playoffs. ”

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The postseason is on the defensive end, particularly for grinders, and few on the Nuggets roster grind how Harris can rsquo & when he ;s healthy. Over their last eight playoff runs dating back to 2012, the Spurs have just been eliminated in the first round twice: Last spring, by second-seeded Golden State, and in 2015 by the Clippers. San Antonio posted a 4-8 mark in those games and were just 1-7 in the competitions where they emptied fewer than 45 percent of their shots from the floor and were 0-6 when their offensive efficiency — points scored per 100 possessions — was under 109.0.

“That’s what it’s going to come down to: Defense,” Harris observed. “We know we can score the ball, but it’s going to actually start on the end. ”

When Harris was on the ground during the regular season, Nuggets opponents scored 107.4 points per 100 possessions, on average, roughly four points better than the 111.0 points per 100 possessions without him on the ground. With Harris playing, the turnover percentage — giveaways per 100 possessions — for Denver foes was 14.5 percent; without him, just 13.4.

“We’re not trying to prove anybody wrong,” Harris said. “We’re just going out there and trying to win a set. That’s the goal. We don’t care about the external noise. I mean, everybody has an opinion. We believe. And rsquo & that;s all that matters. ”

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