Taiwanese-American Jeremy Lin of the Golden State Warriors made history on Sunday by scoring two points in a game against the Los Angeles Lakers, his first as an NBA player.
The Warriors lost to defending champions the Lakers 107-83, their first defeat after opening the season with two wins.
Lin — the first person of Taiwanese descent ever to play in the NBA — played most of the third quarter and the last 4 minutes, 52 seconds of the game. In his 16 minutes, he scored two points on one-of-five shooting and had one rebound, three assists and four steals, but he also committed five personal fouls.
After the game, Warriors coach Keith Smart said Lin had made progress in his second NBA appearance, appearing comfortable as the lead guard and putting his imprint on the tempo of the game, the San Francisco Chronicle’s blog reported.
Lin, who got extensive playing time because starting point-guard Stephen Curry was out with an injury, said he was grateful for the coach’s praise, but acknowledged that he still had much to learn.
He said Sunday’s game gave him valuable experience in getting acclimatized to the tempo of an NBA game.
Lin, who grew up in nearby Palo Alto, California, was not selected in the NBA draft, but was signed by the Warriors to a two-year contract after his strong performance in the summer league.
His parents immigrated to the US from Taiwan in the 1970s.
It was Lakers All-Stars Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol who helped the defending champions breeze to a 3-0 start to the season.
Spanish center Gasol paced the team with 26 points and 12 rebounds, while Bryant recorded 20 points and seven rebounds in just 27 minutes of work.
The Lakers got off to a fast start, outscoring the Warriors 34-14 in the first quarter, and they cruised to their 10th straight win against Golden State, who last defeated Los Angeles in March 2008.
Lamar Odom scored 11 of his 16 points in the opening quarter and also chipped in 14 rebounds to continue his strong start to the season.
In their quest for a third straight NBA title, the Lakers have leaned on Gasol early in the campaign while Bryant works his way back from off-season knee surgery and center Andrew Bynum sits it out after his own knee procedure.
HEAT 101, NETS 78
In Newark, New Jersey, LeBron James scored 20 points, while Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade were close behind as the Miami Heat ended the New Jersey Nets’ two-game unbeaten start.
Bosh finished with 18 points and Wade added 17, both getting most of them in Miami’s dominant first half, before sitting out the fourth quarter. James played a little of the final period and added seven rebounds and seven assists.
It was the most impressive offensive performance yet for the Heat, who have won three straight since beginning their new era started with a loss in Boston.
Miami shot 68 percent in the first half, when their “Big Three” combined for 41 points and the stats only lowered when the reserves took over toward the end.
MAVERICKS 99, CLIPPERS 83
In Los Angeles, Jason Kidd ended the first half with a shot-put heave from inside the three-point arc at the opposite end, while Caron Butler scored 17 points and Shawn Marion had 10 of his 12 points in the fourth quarter as Dallas beat the Los Angeles Clippers.
Dirk Nowitzki added 16 points and seven rebounds for the defending Southwest Division champions in their first road game of the season. Kidd finished with 13 points, nine rebounds and seven assists.
Rookie Blake Griffin had 16 points and nine rebounds for the Clippers, who fell to 0-3 on the season under new coach Vinny Del Negro. None of the starters reached double digits until Griffin converted a slam dunk with 5 minutes, 32 seconds left in the third quarter.
Sunday’s other result:
‧ Jazz 120, Thunder 99
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