Kings-Knicks Preview

By CHRIS ALTRUDA
Posted Feb 15 2012 12:53AM

Just five starts into his NBA career, Jeremy Lin may be running out of ways to outdo himself.

Riding high with a burgeoning national following after more late clutch play, Lin leads the surging New York Knicks into the opener of a five-game homestand Wednesday night versus the Sacramento Kings.

Inserted into the starting lineup by coach Mike D'Antoni out of desperation just nine days ago following a career-high 25-point effort off the bench in a win against New Jersey on Feb. 4, Lin has skyrocketed to stardom with his unprecedented play with New York's first unit.

He has averaged 27.2 points - the highest scoring average for someone starting his first five games since the ABA-NBA merger - and 8.8 assists while shooting 50.0 percent as a starter in helping New York (14-15) grab the eighth and final spot in the Eastern Conference playoff race and extend its current winning streak to six games.

The legend of Linsanity grew again exponentially - his Twitter account now has more than 270,000 followers - in Toronto on Tuesday night, when he hit a tiebreaking 3-pointer with five-tenths of a second to play that capped a game-ending 13-1 run and gave the Knicks a 90-87 victory. The point guard, whose three-point play with 1:05 left tied the game at 87, also had a career-high 11 assists.

"I'm thankful that the coach and my teammates trust me with the ball at the end of the game," he said. "I like having it at the end of the game. I'm just very thankful."

Lin will undoubtedly get a hero's welcome at a raucous Madison Square Garden, likely to be feted by a crowd that has already taken to the Asian-American as one of its own - they have serenaded him with chants of "M-V-P" during his equally meteoric and unlikely rise to national acclaim during this win streak.

Lin's winning shot also overshadowed the return of Amar'e Stoudemire, who had 21 points and nine rebounds after missing four games following the death of his brother. The power forward seemed at ease running pick-and-rolls with Lin, who assisted on five of Stoudemire's baskets.

"I don't know what's going on in New York right now, but Jeremy's playing great," Stoudemire said. "He's playing phenomenal right now, it's amazing to watch him play out there. He's doing a phenomenal job."

The Raptors occasionally flustered Lin by double-teaming him above the top of the key, which contributed to him matching a season high with eight turnovers. While he has recorded at least seven assists in each game during New York's win streak, Lin also has committed six or more turnovers in four of them.

Whether the Kings can do similar things with Marcus Thornton likely to draw Lin defensively is uncertain. Sacramento (10-18) allowed a Chicago team without injured reigning MVP Derrick Rose to shoot 52.4 percent in a 121-115 loss Tuesday night.

The Kings nearly rallied from a 19-point fourth-quarter deficit as Thornton, Tyreke Evans and DeMarcus Cousins combined to score 78 points, but were unable to finish the rally as they fell to 3-13 on the road.

"They're a tough team," Evans said. "They play together. They run that high pick-and-roll good with the bigs. They ran it all night on us and got a lot of fouls. That's what killed us."

Sacramento has dropped six of seven on the road but has made the most of its recent trips to New York, winning four straight and six of seven there after dropping 16 of the previous 17.

The Knicks had an easy time in Sacramento on New Year's Eve, rolling to a 114-92 win as rookie Josh Harrellson had 14 points and 12 rebounds in his first NBA start in place of the injured Stoudemire.

Lin has 13 assists, Knicks run win streak to 7

By BRIAN MAHONEY
Posted Feb 16 2012 3:53AM

NEW YORK (AP) Instead of saving the Knicks, Jeremy Lin got to save his energy.

Lin played only 26 minutes Wednesday night, 10 fewer than in any game since joining the rotation. With the Knicks blowing out the Sacramento Kings, he checked out for good in the third quarter, grabbing a spot on the bench next to Carmelo Anthony and sharing a laugh with the injured All-Star.

"We were just having fun and kind of talking about how we're both excited for when he comes back," Lin said.

Hey `Melo, no need to rush. Lin and the Knicks just keep on winning.

Lin put aside his record-setting scoring to hand out a career-best 13 assists, and New York got back to .500 with its seventh straight victory, 100-85 on Wednesday night.

Lin added 10 points, focusing more on his role as a distributor while others torched the Kings for 51 percent shooting. Landry Fields had 15 points and 10 rebounds, while Bill Walker and Steve Novak each chipped in 14 points as the Knicks put seven players in double figures for the first time since April 5, 2009, at Toronto.

"As a point guard, my field goal attempts have been really high and I don't think that's necessarily good," Lin said. "I think it's more of my job to distribute and get people in rhythm."

Lin scored 136 points in his first five starts, most by any NBA player since the NBA merged with the ABA in 1976. His 3-pointer with 0.5 seconds left Tuesday allowed the Knicks to pull out a 90-87 victory in a game they trailed nearly the whole way.

The Knicks (15-15) led this one almost throughout, evening their record for the first time since they were 6-6 after a loss to Oklahoma City on Jan. 14. They host hapless New Orleans on Friday, hoping Anthony will return from a strained right groin.

"We wanted to be aggressive, make it hard for (Lin), but he still ran the team and got assists," Sacramento's Tyreke Evans said. "They made shots. It seemed like they were making everything tonight."

Evans scored 19 points for the Kings, who had won four in a row in New York. DeMarcus Cousins added 15 but shot only 7 of 18 and grabbed just four rebounds.

Already the NBA's biggest story, Linsanity had peaked about 24 hours earlier with the former Harvard guard's winner in Toronto. The shot was replayed on the overhead video board at the Garden, triggering a huge ovation as if it had just happened live.

But Lin, the reigning Eastern Conference player of the week, would have few other scoring highlights, taking only six shots.

Fans, quite a few wearing Lin's jerseys or holding masks of his face, loved it anyway. They chanted "MVP! MVP!" as he was interviewed on the court after the game and held up signs such as "Lin Your Face," "Linderella," and - of course - "Marry Me Jeremy."

"It's crazy. Thank you for the energy as always," he said to the crowd.

Then he was peppered with an array of questions usually reserved for superstars, from his thoughts about President Barack Obama watching him, to whether it was time to get a new haircut.

But for Lin, the only focus is basketball.

"I knew him before he was Linmania. He's still the same humble guy," Kings coach Keith Smart said. "The guy has not changed a bit, which is real special for a young man."

Lin played last season in Golden State for Smart, who praised Lin's work ethic and attitude, but never imagined "the perfect storm" that would lead to these results.

"It's good Monday morning quarterbacks are here now, but no one could have predicted this guy being this big in this place here," Smart said before the game.

Lin opened the game with a three-point play, giving him nine straight points dating to late Tuesday, but passed more than shot as the Knicks scored easily in the first half. Lin beat the defense with penetration and dishes to shooters, or by throwing lob passes over the top.

The Knicks led 25-17 after one quarter, then blew it open late in the second. Novak converted a four-point play, Lin hooked up with Fields for an alley-oop dunk, then made a free throw to cap a run of seven straight points and make it an 18-point game. The Knicks closed the scoring when Lin drove and threw a wraparound pass to Tyson Chandler for a dunk with 1.7 seconds left, extending it to 54-36.

"I just thought we played really exceptionally well the first quarter," Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni said. "Just the ball was moving, every time we drew up a play they ran it perfectly. Every time I think there was an opportunity to make a great pass, they did it."

Lin had six points and nine assists in the first half. He found Fields for a layup that made it a 25-point game early in the third, and the Knicks coasted from there.

Notes: Kings rookie guard Isaiah Thomas was booed when his name was announced after checking in late in the first quarter. The names are pronounced the same, but he's not related to former Knicks coach and president Isiah Thomas. "I knew it was going to happen here," Thomas said. "I was expecting something. Spike Lee told me next time you come to New York, you better change your name." ... The Knicks last won seven in a row near the end of last season. ... Former vice president Al Gore and ex-heavyweight champion Mike Tyson were at the game.

Notebook: Knicks 100, Kings 85

Posted Wednesday February 15, 2012 10:49PM

By Adam Zagoria, for NBA.com

THE FACTS: The Knicks didn't need any late-game Linsanity on this night.

In fact, they didn't need Jeremy Lin in the fourth quarter at all.

One night after Lin hit the game-winning 3-pointer with 0.5 seconds left against Toronto, he notched a double-double in less than three quarters as the Knicks won the seventh straight game of the Lin Era, 100-85, over the Sacramento Kings .

Lin finished with 10 points, 13 assists and five turnovers despite leaving late in the third. He had six turnovers but he also assisted on several dunks to Tyson Chandler and Landry Fields and continued to play the pick-and-roll game well.

Fields finished with his own double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds, Bill Walker added 14 points and Amar'e Stoudemire, playing his first game after a weeklong absence to mourn the death of his brother, added 11 points and five rebounds.

The Kings lost their third straight and fourth in five games.

QUOTABLE: "[I'm] really happy with 10 points and 13 assists. That's great on a night like this, that's great. Next game Jeremy could have 30 points. Whatever we need him to do, I think he can do."
-- Knicks head coach Mike D'Antoni.

THE STAT: The Knicks reached the .500 mark for the first time since Jan. 14 when they lost at Oklahoma City to fall to 6-6. Now they are 15-15.

TURNING POINT: The Knicks seized control of the game right away as they raced out to a 17-7 lead thanks largely to Lin's running of the pick and roll and Sacramento's inability to defend it. Lin had five points and six assists after one period when the Knicks led, 25-17. By halftime, when the Knicks led 54-36, Lin had amassed six points, nine assists and just one turnover.

QUOTABLE II: "It was good to get some rest. I think we all needed it, so we were thankful we played less minutes tonight."
-- Lin.

WHO'S HOT: Jared Jeffries is back on the bench with the return of Stoudemire, but he continues to flourish playing with Lin. Jeffries had 10 points and nine rebounds for his third double-digit scoring game in his last six outings.

WHO'S NOT: One night after going 1-for-8 for three points in a loss at Chicago, Kings shooting guard John Salmons went 1-for-5 for two points.

QUOTABLE III: "I want to be the same person before and after. I don't want anything to affect me or this team."
-- Lin.

NOTABLE: When he was at Golden State last year, current Kings coach Keith Smart was one of many coaches -- college and pro -- who passed on Lin. The Warriors sent him to the D-League several times before waiving him Dec. 9. "Everyone said, 'Well, you should've played him more,'" Smart said. "Well, you had Monta Ellis, a top five NBA scorer, Stephen Curry, a runner-up for Rookie of the Year. You had Acie Law and Reggie Williams and you had a young, undrafted guy who didn't know how to play in the NBA yet." Smart said there was no way to see Linsanity coming. "Now let's say, Jeremy Lin is available now," he added, "you would have everyone knocking on the door."

NOTABLE II: Lin was asked his reaction to reports that President Obama watched the 3-pointer against Toronto and has been following the story. "Very honored, very humbled. Wow, it's the President. Nothing better than that."

INSIDE THE ARENA: Even Al Gore, Mike Tyson, Gerry Cooney and Mary J. Blige are feeling the Linsanity. They sat courtside.

UP NEXT: For the Knicks, Friday vs. Hornets, Sunday vs. Mavericks, Monday vs. Nets. For the Kings, Friday @ Detroit, Sunday @ Cleveland, Tuesday @ Miami.

• Kings: Honeycutt
• Knicks: Davis, Harrellson

• Kings: --
• Knicks: --

• Lead Changes: 4
• Times Tied: 1

• Arena: Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
• Officials: #8 Marc Davis, #28 Tommy Nunez Jr., #29 Mark Lindsay
• Attendance: 19763
• Duration: 2:06