Nets rally to beat winless Wizards

Richard Jefferson scored 25 points, including two game-winning free throws with 24 seconds to play, and New Jersey rallied for an 87-85 victory over winless Washington on Thursday night in East Rutherford, N.J.

The Nets’ fourth victory in five games wasn’t secured until Antoine Wright forced Gilbert Arenas to his right and the Washington guard had to take an off-balance shot that was deflected by Vince Carter.

Carter had 24 points to help New Jersey rally from a 20-point first-half deficit.

Bulls 97, Pistons 93: At Chicago, Tyrus Thomas had 19 points and 14 rebounds and Chicago defeated Detroit for its first victory of the season.

Mavericks 120, Warriors 115: At Oakland, Calif., Josh Howard and Jason Terry both scored 24 points, and Dallas held off Golden State.

Yao vs. Yi gets big TV play

In China, tonight’s game between the Milwaukee Bucks and the host Houston Rockets is expected to draw TV ratings that would put a Super Bowl to shame.

It’s Yao Ming vs. Yi Jianlian, the nation’s greatest player facing his highly touted rookie countryman for the first time.

The game, starting early Saturday morning in China, will air on 19 television stations, including CCTV-5, the country’s government-run network. It also will be available on two Webcasts and on video-enabled, wireless phones.