China's Yi Jianlian scored 27 points to power the New Jersey Nets to a 112-95 win over the lowly Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday.
Vince Carter added 26 points and rookie center Brook Lopez turned in another solid effort with 14 points and eight rebounds for the Nets, who have won two straight and four of their last five NBA games.
Bobby Simmons also reached double figures with 11 points while grabbing nine rebounds.
"Every team would love where everyone scores in double figure," Nets coach Lawrence Frank said.
New Jersey Nets' Yi Jianlian takes a shot during an NBA game against the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday in East Rutherford. (China Daily/Agencies)Carter, Yi and Simmons combined to go eight-of-12 from beyond the arc as New Jersey shot 58 percent (11-of-19) from long range.
The Nets also made their presence felt on the inside, winning the rebounding battle 45-31. New Jersey is averaging 119.5 points over its last four wins.
After falling behind in the first few minutes, the Nets set the tone for the game with an 18-5 run in the first quarter.
Yi hit two three-pointers right off the bat in the third quarter as New Jersey pulled away.
"He is so important to us," Carter said of Yi. "He spreads the floor, he is seven-feet tall.
"He's long, creates tough matchups and has the ability to shoot over people. We have enormous confidence in him and what he brings to the team. He doesn't even have to have the 27 points to be effective."
Knicks 122 Wizards 117
At New York, Quentin Richardson had 34 points and 12 rebounds in one of his best games since joining New York as the short-handed Knicks held on to beat the Washington Wizards.
Richardson made seven 3-pointers, two shy of the team record, and fell a point shy of his highest-scoring game since the Knicks acquired him from Phoenix in June 2005.
Nate Robinson had a season-high 27 points, Wilson Chandler added 23, and David Lee had 22 points and 12 rebounds to help the Knicks snap a three-game losing streak.
Antawn Jamison had 29 points and 13 rebounds for the Wizards, who dropped their fifth straight and fell to 1-10, their worst start since the 1966 Baltimore Bullets also opened 1-10.
Cavaliers 110 Hawks 96
At Cleveland, LeBron James led Cleveland to its ninth win in 10 games, scoring 24 points - 19 in the second half - on 8-of-19 shooting.
James added eight assists, seven rebounds and a few more highlight-package dunks to help the Cavaliers improve to 10-3 and match their best start in 20 years.
Mo Williams added 23 points, Delonte West had 19 and Zydrunas Ilgauskas 17 for Cleveland. Maurice Evans scored 21 points for Atlanta, which has lost five of seven after starting 6-0.
Rockets 100 Magic 95
At Orlando, Florida, Yao Ming had 22 points and 13 rebounds to help Houston win for the fourth time in five games and snap Orlando's winning streak at five games.
Tracy McGrady and Rafter Alston added 17 apiece for Houston.
Jameer Nelson led Orlando with 21 points and six assists, and Rashard Lewis added 18 points, but the Magic shot only 40.7 percent and All-Star center Dwight Howard wasn't much of a factor because of foul problems.
Heat 109 Pacers 100
At Miami, Dwyane Wade shook off flu-like symptoms to score 38 points, and Miami rallied from 15 points down to beat Indiana.
Shawn Marion had 18 points and nine rebounds, and Michael Beasley scored 14 of his 17 points in the second half for Miami.
Marquis Daniels scored 25 points, and Danny Granger added 23 for Indiana.
Source: China Daily/Agencies
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