Linsanity erupted anew on Wednesday as Jeremy Lin swept 16 points in the fourth quarter to help cap the New York Knicks’ 82-79 road victory over the Atlantic Division-leading Philadelphia 76ers.
It was the Knicks’ fifth straight win since Mike Woodson took over as the team’s interim coach on March 14, and the game ended with a large crowd of excited New York fans, who invaded Philadelphia to cheer on their team, shouting: “Let’s go Knicks!”
US-born Lin, the first NBA player of Taiwanese descent, scored 18 points and dished out three assists, five rebounds and one steal in the NBA matchup. He also managed to cut his sloppy turnovers to just two.
Photo: EPA
The 23-year-old point guard from Harvard had a miserable first three quarters, missing 10 of his first 11 shots and making only two assists. He changed his strategy in the fourth quarter, repeatedly forcing his way into the paint to account for six of the 16 points he scored in the final quarter.
His other 10 points gave him a 100 percent success rate from the free throw line. Besides sinking two from the line shortly after the start of the quarter, he also fed Carmelo Anthony for a 16-footer that gave the Knicks the breathing room they needed.
Amare Stoudemire led the team on the score chart with 21 points and nine rebounds, while Anthony added 10 to help power the Knicks to victory and place the team firmly in Eastern Conference playoff territory.
Lin, who came off the bench just last month to spark New York on a seven-game winning streak, said after Wednesday’s game that the team was catching fire again as the push to the playoffs has begun.
“We’re building, we’re getting better, we’re feeling more confident,” Lin said. “We’re creating a team identity.”
LAKERS 109, MAVERICKS 93
Kobe Bryant scored 30 points and Pau Gasol added 27 points and nine rebounds as the Los Angeles Lakers stopped the defending NBA Champion Dallas Mavericks’ four-game winning streak with a 109-93 victory on Wednesday night.
Ramon Sessions contributed 17 points and nine assists in his fourth game for the Lakers since he was acquired in a trade with Cleveland on March 15.
Dirk Nowitzki had 26 points and 10 rebounds, and Jason Terry scored 23 points for the Mavericks, who fell to 0-3 against the Lakers this season.
THUNDER 114, CLIPPERS 91
In Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Kevin Durant had 32 points and nine rebounds and Russell Westbrook added 19 points as the Thunder shut down Blake Griffin to beat the Clippers.
Playing in his hometown, Griffin was held to a career-low seven points in the rematch of a Clippers victory perhaps best remembered for his emphatic dunk over Kendrick Perkins.
Griffin did not have any dunks in this one, settling mostly for long jumpers and hook shots, and went just 3 for 11 from the field.
Randy Foye started in place of Caron Butler and scored 23 points to lead Los Angeles, who hit 37 percent on a miserable shooting night from inside the three-point line.
BULLS 94, RAPTORS 82
In Toronto, Ontario, John Lucas scored all 13 of his points in the fourth quarter and Luol Deng had 17 points and 10 rebounds as Chicago rallied to beat Toronto.
Kyle Korver also came up big in the final quarter, scoring all 10 of his points in the fourth as the Bulls came back after trailing by 12 early in the second half.
C.J. Watson scored 15 points and Ronnie Brewer had 12 for the Bulls, who won their third straight. The Bulls also won for the fourth time in five games without leading scorer Derrick Rose, who is still sidelined with a sore right groin.
DeMar DeRozan scored 23 points and James Johnson had 16 for the Raptors.
SPURS 116, TIMBERWOLVES 100
In San Antonio, Texas, Tim Duncan had 21 points and 15 rebounds as San Antonio beat Minnesota despite playing most of the game without All-Star guard Tony Parker.
Stephen Jackson and Gary Neal each added 16 points for the Spurs, who won their fourth straight and fifth in their last six.
Parker left with tightness in his left hamstring with eight minutes, three seconds remaining in the first half. He spoke briefly with Spurs coach Gregg Popovich before heading to the locker room with two points and six assists.
MAGIC 103, SUNS 93
In Orlando, Florida, Ryan Anderson hit seven three-pointers and scored 29 points, and Dwight Howard added 28 points and 16 rebounds to help Orlando hold off Phoenix.
Orlando led by as many as 22 before the Suns rallied with under five minutes to play, but the Magic, who were 11 for 23 from beyond the arc, were able to string together enough baskets down the stretch to hold on.
The Magic snapped a two-game losing streak and won for the sixth time in seven matchups with the Suns in Orlando.
Jared Dudley had 17 points and Robin Lopez added 14 points and eight rebounds for the Suns.
HAWKS 103, CAVALIERS 102, OT
In Atlanta, Georgia, Joe Johnson hit a tying three-pointer at the end of regulation and knocked down a baseline jumper with 10 seconds left in overtime, giving Atlanta the win over Cleveland.
The Hawks rallied from a six-point deficit in overtime, pulling even on Johnson’s third trey of the night and a three-point play by Josh Smith, who led Atlanta with 32 points and 17 rebounds.
Cleveland had two shots at the end. Irving missed and Gee botched the follow.
Johnson rallied to finish with 22 points for the Hawks.
Irving nearly had a triple double for the Cavaliers, scoring 29 points to go along with nine rebounds and nine assists. Antawn Jamison added 23 points.
WIZARDS 108, NETS 89
In Newark, Nene had 22 points and 10 rebounds in his debut for the Wizards, who beat New Jersey in a game marred by the third--quarter ejections of Nets’ All-Star point guard Deron Williams and head coach Avery Johnson.
In other NBA action, it was:
‧ Warriors 101, Hornets 92
‧ Nuggets 116, Pistons 115
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