Chinese forward Yi Jianlian was expected to return to the court next week with the New Jersey Nets after missing a month with knee injuries.

His return might sound as a boost to the injury-riddled Nets who set an NBA record for the worst start to a season at 0-18, falling 117-101 to the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday.

The Nets went through a two-week period with only eight available players due to the rash of injuries. Point guard Devin Harris only recently returned from a strained groin.

"It's bad for sure. We're losing a lot of games, but we had all these injuries at the beginning of the season. It's tough. It's hard to win games when you play with eight guys," said Yi.