"In the span of 30 minutes Wednesday night, forward Yi Jianlian might have played his way into the starting lineup. At 2-27, the moribund Nets have little to lose -- except their ninth straight game.

Yi showed little rust in his return from a seven-week absence because of knee and lip injuries, scoring 22 points in the 103-99 home loss to the (almost) equally woeful Timberwolves. He hit 4 of 6 from 3-point range and 7 of 12 shots overall, giving the Nets -- who shoot a league-worst 41.6 percent and 27.9 on threes -- a sorely needed perimeter threat.

"He stretches the floor for us," point guard Devin Harris said. "He came out ready to play and it shows how hard he's been working. His stroke we'll definitely need for the rest of the season."

The Nets were plus-12 points with Yi on the floor during the loss. Backup point guard Keyon Dooling said he expects big things from the 7-footer, a lottery pick of the Bucks in 2007.

"Yi was spectacular," Dooling said. "He's going to be able to come into his own. He's had some hardships. With high expectations sometimes it takes that. It takes the young players, two, three, sometimes four years to get that, find their game and I think he's on the right path.""