Sparkling Yi boosts Bucks over Bobcats
Updated: 2007-12-24 08:54
MILWAUKEE, Wisconsin - Chinese rookie Yi Jianlian displayed an array of offensive weapons to score a career-high 29 points Saturday in the Milwaukee Bucks' 103-99 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats.
 Charlotte Bobcats' Raymond Felton (20) watches as Milwaukee Bucks' Yi Jianlian, of China, slam-dunks during the second half of an NBA basketball game Saturday, Dec. 22, 2007, in Milwaukee. Jianlian lead the Bucks with 29, the new high of his NBA career as the Bucks won 103-99. [Agencies] |
Yi, the sixth overall selection in the National Basketball Association draft last June, made his first 12 shots and finished 14-of-17 from the floor with 10 rebounds for his first career double-double.
Charlotte Bobcats' Raymond Felton (20) watches as Milwaukee Bucks' Yi Jianlian slam-dunks during the second half of an NBA basketball game Saturday in Milwaukee. Yi led the Bucks with 29 points as the Bucks won 103-99. AP Yi scored 10 points in the third quarter as the Bucks built on their 58-47 halftime lead to take 85-71 advantage after three quarters.
Charlotte narrowed the gap to 97-89 on Raymond Felton's jumper with 4:44 left in the game, but Yi promptly answered with a jumper of his own seconds later.
Yi's performance showed vast improvement from his first effort against the Bobcats.
In that, his second NBA outing, Yi scored just two points on 1-of-6 shooting in a 102-99 loss at Charlotte.
Michael Redd added 27 points and Mo Williams had 22 as the Bucks improved to 9-3 at home.
Meanwhile, Jason Richardson scored 30 and Emeka Okafor and Felton scored 17 apiece for Charlotte, who trailed the entire game.
The Bobcats had to battle just to get to the contest in the face of winter storms wreaking havoc in Canada and in the Great Lakes and northeastern regions of the United States.
Dense fog closed Milwaukee's airport, keeping the Bobcats in Charlotte following their victory over the New York Knicks on Friday.
The team finally left Charlotte early Saturday and headed for Madison, Wisconsin.
Madison's airport was also closed, so the plane flew to Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport for fuel.
The team then departed for Green Bay, about 100 miles north of Milwaukee, but that airport was closed while they were in the air.
The team eventually landed at Chicago's Midway Airport and took a charter bus to Milwaukee, arriving an hour before the scheduled tip-off.
At Chicago, Houston center Yao Ming suffered a sprained thumb in the Rockets' 116-98 victory over the Chicago Bulls.
Yao was hurt under the Chicago basket when he and Bulls forward Joe Smith both went for a loose ball on the floor with five minutes remaining in the third quarter.
Yao collected 16 points, eight rebounds and two blocks before departing directly to the Rockets' locker room.
However, after having his hand X-rayed, Yao returned with seven minutes left in the final quarter and chipped in two more points on the night.
Tracy McGrady and Bonzi Wells scored 20 points apiece to lead the Rockets, who were 10-of-20 from three-point range as they snapped their second three-game skid of the season.
Leading 86-72 in the fourth quarter, the Rockets wouldn't let up.
Kirk Hinrich opened the period with a basket, then Houston put the game out of reach with a 15-4 scoring run.
In San Antonio, the San Antonio Spurs welcomed Tony Parker back from injury with a 99-90 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers.
Parker, who missed four games with a sprained left ankle, returned to the starting lineup with 18 points and six assists, while Tim Duncan led the Spurs with 34 points and 18 rebounds.
The contest had the makings of a blowout, as San Antonio opened the quarter with a 15-5 scoring run.
San Antonio never trailed and led by as many as 24 points in the first half.
The Clippers came alive in the third period, however, outscoring the Spurs 24-17. They narrowed the gap to 77-65 early in the fourth before Parker responded with four unanswered points.
The Spurs dominated in the paint, scoring 22 more points than Los Angeles in the lane, and they out-rebounded the Clippers 52-33.
San Antonio played nearly the entire game without Manu Ginobili, who sprained his left index finger in the first quarter.
In Miami, Dwyane Wade beat the buzzer with a 20-foot jumper that bounced on the rim and went in to give the Miami Heat a 104-102 victory over the Utah Jazz.
Miami had blown a 16-point lead and was trailing with under a minute to go before Wade rescued the home team.
Utah's C.J. Miles scored 14 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter and the Jazz rallied to take their only lead of the half with 46.3 seconds remaining.
Daequan Cook answered with a three-pointer to put Miami ahead, but Carlos Boozer tied the game for Utah before Wade delivered.
Shaquille O'Neal scored 17 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for the Heat, while Cook had 15 points.
Deron Williams led the Jazz with 22 points.
In Indianapolis, the Indiana Pacers scored a 93-85 victory over the Washington Wizards with Danny Granger scoring 11 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter.
Jermaine O'Neal posted 18 points and eight rebounds. Kareem Rush added 15 points for the Pacers.
The Wizards, without starters Gilbert Arenas, Caron Butler and Antonio Daniels, lost their third successive game and relied on Antawn Jamison who scored 29 points and grabbed 12 rebounds.
In Phoenix, the Suns raced past Toronto 122-103 despite a career-high 42 points by the Raptors' Chris Bosh.
Leandro Barbosa, starting in place of injured Raja Bell, scored 31 points, Amare Stoudemire added 28 and Grant Hill 25 as Phoenix swept the season series from Toronto for the fourth consecutive season. The Suns are 8-0 against the Raptors since Steve Nash came to Phoenix in 2004.
Bosh made 22 of 24 free throws, both career bests. His 22 makes are the most from the line in the league this season.
The Suns improved to 6-0 when Barbosa has started this season.
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