It's About Yi in Quarter Three Jan. 5, 2009 by Ben Couch - NJNETS.COM

East Rutherford, N.J. — Ever since a four-game string of double-digit games at the beginning of December, New Jersey Nets forward Yi Jianlian had been slumping.

He reached 10 or more points only twice in the next 10 games, not once making half of his attempts. But Yi began shooting himself out of the cold streak, firing up 14, 13 and 11 shots in the Nets' three games prior to Monday's 98-90 victory against the Sacramento Kings. He scored 32 points in those games despite a low field-goal percentage (13-38, .342) -- nearly matching his point total from the previous six (33).

Against the Kings at the IZOD Center, Yi finally found his touch, connecting on eight of 14 field goals as he scored 22 points, helping to turn the game with 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting during the Nets' crucial third-quarter run. Yi added 13 rebounds, tying his career-high, and two blocked shots.

"Yi was phenomenal on both ends of the floor," said Nets guard Keyon Dooling. "He was due for a breakout game, he had been struggling a little bit. But we're a confident bunch in him, we know he has the ability to spread the floor. It's just a matter of him doing it on the defensive end and that helped him on the offensive end tonight."

The second-year forward got started early, hitting a midrange jumper off a Devin Harris feed three minutes into the game and following it with a three a few minutes later. He sank a running hook two possessions after that, finally misfiring on his fourth attempt of the evening, a long jumper with 3 minutes, 12 seconds to go in the first.

Limited by foul trouble, Yi went scoreless in four second-quarter minutes as the Kings dominated the Nets. Sacramento scored 37 points in the quarter -- 17 by shooting guard Kevin Martin -- as Yi logged only two assists and a rebound. New Jersey entered the locker room trailing by 12, 55-43.

Early in the third, Yi set up on the block with his back to the basket, made a shoulder fake and unleashed a turnaround jumper that swished through the net. That kicked off a stretch in which Yi scored eight of the Nets' next 10 points, with the other two coming on a jumper by Vince Carter, who finished with 29 points, nine rebounds and seven assists.

"We always intially try to get him a post up here or there, just to establish him downstairs, and really liked his patience down there," said Nets coach Lawrence Frank. "You could tell he had a good rhythm about it. He got the three fouls, but offensively, he was sharp. When a guy has it going, regardless of who it is, you play through them, and we were able to play through him for about a six-minute stretch. I thought he did a tremendous job."

Yi kept at it in the fourth quarter, despite shooting only 1-for-4 in the period. While his jumper gave the Nets a brief lead at 81-80, his rebounding and defense were more crucial to the game-deciding run.

Yi pulled down seven boards in the final stanza, two of them offensive, and none more important than the one he snatched off Josh Boone's missed free throw with 2 minutes, 22 seconds remaining. Boone had missed both of his attempts, and when Brad Miller fouled Yi to put him at the line, New Jersey was able to stretch its lead to eight.

The game was sealed when Yi blocked Miller's layup on the next possession and Dooling nailed a three in transition, pushing the advantage to 11 with 1 1/2 minutes to play. Harris, who sat out the second half with a hamstring pull, liked what he saw.

"Yi, if he can give us that kind of effort every night ..." said Harris, trailing off as he envisioned the possibility. "(Then) we'll be right where we need to be."

"I hope every game I play like that," Yi said. "I know my scoring is up and down, but for me, it's just keep working hard in practice. Just focus on every game and I'll play like that.

NOTES: Devin Harris reaggravated his pulled left hamstring and left the game at halftime. He said he'll stay out of practice tomorrow and Wednesday's shootaround, indicating he's "probable" for that night's game against Memphis, but acknowledged Friday is more likely ... Jarvis Hayes led the Nets' bench with 12 points (5-8 FGs, 2-2 3Ps) and was closely followed by Keyon Dooling and Josh Boone, who scored nine points each. Boone added two blocks.

<< Back to All Access News