Sports / Basketball |
Yi struggles in exhibition vs. Mavs(AP)Updated: 2007-07-04 23:58 Yi Jianlian's first taste of NBA competition did not go smoothly, as he scored 11 points for the Chinese national team in a 105-100 loss to the Dallas Mavericks' summer league team Tuesday night. Yi, selected with the sixth overall pick by the Milwaukee Bucks in the NBA draft, had just one point in the second half. He shot 3-for-9 from the floor while committing three turnovers in 31 minutes. He did have a team-leading 10 rebounds, along with two assists and two blocked shots.
"Just the second game from missing three months," Yi said, noting that he just rejoined the national team. "I think we'll get there." Reportedly unhappy with the prospect of playing in a city with a small Asian population, Yi still refuses to discuss his NBA future. Two days after an uninspiring 15-point effort against the U.S. under-19 national team, Yi showed flashes of brilliance but also struggled at times in an inconsistent showing. "It's very difficult to talk about Yi," China's coach Jonas Kazlauskas said. "Three months, he was by himself without team and without coaches. He needs seven, eight games to catch up with us." The crowd at SMU's Moody Coliseum went quiet early in the second quarter when Yi sank to the floor doubled over in pain, holding his stomach. After remaining down for about a minute, Yi returned to action and came down with a rebound on the next play. Yi's teammate, Sun Yue, who went 40th overall to the Los Angeles Lakers, contributed two points in just nine minutes. Dallas fans got their first chance to cheer draft acquisitions Nick Fazekas (34th overall) and Reyshawn Terry (44th). Fazekas scored 14 points in 30 minutes. Former Maverick and five-year NBA veteran Wang ZhiZhi scored 28 points for China, including 10 in the third quarter. Pops Mensah-Bonsu, who played 12 games with the Mavs last season, led Dallas with 24 points, including the game-tying dunk with 2:50 remaining that completed a comeback from a nine-point fourth-quarter deficit. Both clubs leave for Las Vegas on Wednesday to compete in the NBA summer league. |
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