RSS
Home
Yi arrives in loss to Celtics
Print
Email
RSS
Subscribe
Yi finished with 20 points in the loss/Courtesy Zimbio
The Nets continued to rave about Yi Jianlian's work in practice, but the 7-footer from China had not impressed in two preseason games. That was until Sunday.
After a lackluster performance against Philadelphia, Yi responded by scoring 20 points on 8-of-15 shooting and hauling in eight rebounds. The fact that he did it against a full Celtics squad is even more encouraging, despite the Nets losing 100-93.
Everyone knows about Devin Harris (who sat out the game with injury) and Brook Lopez (21 points, eight rebounds), but an efficient Yi would greatly aid the Nets offense.
Rod Thorn and Lawrence Frank have praised Yi's offseason work, but they remain cautious when comparing the preseason to the rigorous regular season slate.
Josh Boone also cemented his role in the rotation. Lopez found himself in early foul trouble and Boone spelled him. Boone poured in 14 points and had seven rebounds off the bench. Prior to training camp, Boone had lost 15 pounds in an effort to make himself more versatile to the Nets. He is also in a contract year.
Boone’s play likely means Sean Williams will not make the team. Expect Eduardo Najera to back up the No. 4 spot while Boone serves as Lopez’s backup.
Courtney Lee made his season debut and came off the bench. He shot poorly, but that could be attributed to rust. Lee went 3-of-9 from the field and finished with 11 points.
Defensively, the Nets did not have the same success stopping Boston’s guards as they did with Philadelphia. Paul Pierce erupted for 25 points while Eddie House scored 13. The Nets held Andre Iguodala to 2-of-13 shooting on Friday.
The Nets return to action on Tuesday in a home-and-home with the Celtics. The game will be televised by YES.
Related Articles:
Add a Comment
