P.J Carlesimo is hoping lightning strikes twice in Brooklyn's backcourt. After resting Deron Williams for a week at the All-Star Game, and being rewarded for it, the Nets' interim coach is taking advantage of a quirk in the schedule to give Joe Johnson five days off. The Nets don't play again until Sunday then take off on an eight-game, 17-day road trip. And with him obviously hurt, it made sense to give the night off vs. New Orleans.

"You’re tempted to say, ‘We could hold him out for one more, it’ll give him five days to get healthy,’" Carlesimo said. "We just want to err on the side of being intelligent."

Ironically, Johnson said he felt pain in his heel at some point during the first two games prior to the All-Star break when with D-Will resting, he was asked to shoulder a larger load of the offense. The injury got worse and he took three days off. Since coming back and before taking off, JJ has not been in top form and he admits playing in pain. Against Philly, he scored 20 points on 8-of-11 shooting but in the two games prior, scored a total of 24. Johnson will not undergo the plasma replacement therapy like Williams did.

Any chance he'll miss Sunday's late game vs. the Hawks? No way, he says.

• Joe Johnson is getting five days off to rest his sore heel, rediscover his game -Stefan Bondy - New York Daily News
• Nets' Joe Johnson inactive to give sore heel a rest - Rod Boone - Newsday
• Joe Johnson Still Not 100 Percent, Sits Out Against the Hornets - Moke Hamiltoni - SNY Nets