The New Jersey Nets rallied for a 98-90 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Monday night with all-star Vince Carter's 29 points and Yi Jianlian's 22 points.
Carter scored eight in the fourth quarter, which secured the victory of the Nets. Carter also took over the game in the final minutes with his stable performance.
Yi, the 7-foot(2.12 meters) power forward from China, had 22 points and a season-high 13 rebounds for the Nets. Yi bruised a knee in the second quarter but returned to get 10 points for New Jersey in the third quarter.
The Nets' point guard Devin Harris left the game in the second quarter due to a strained right hamstring. Harris started the game but was unable to return after halftime with the Nets facing a double-digit deficit. He got four points and seven assists within 18 minutes and 30 seconds.
But Carter and Yi helped the Nets storm back. Keyon Dooling shot a 3-pointer that gave New Jersey a 97-86 lead with just 99 seconds remaining.
Kevin Martin of the Sacramento Kings scored 25 of his 36 points in a blistering first half. But he had little help from the rest of the Kings, who have lost nine of their last 10 games.
Former Rider star Jason Thompson added 12 points for Sacramento, and Francisco Garcia finished with 10.
(Agencies via Xinhua News Agency January 6, 2009)
