Rockets at Knicks
Jeremy Lin is fresh off a performance that was reminiscent of “Linsanity” and the Houston guard returns to the building where that craze soared two seasons ago when the Rockets visit the New York Knicks on Thursday. Lin had 34 points and 12 assists and tied a franchise record with nine 3-pointers in Houston’s loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday. The huge performance brought back memories of when Lin erupted for a month-long scoring spree as a member of the Knicks.
New York will be vying for a better performance than its last time playing in Madison Square Garden – a horrific 120-89 loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday. The Knicks bounced back by notching an impressive road victory in Atlanta on Wednesday as Carmelo Anthony scored 25 points and Andrea Bargnani had 20 points and 11 rebounds. Houston standout James Harden missed the loss to the 76ers and his availability for Thursday’s game is uncertain.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, TNT
ABOUT THE ROCKETS (5-4): Fatigue could be an issue for Houston, which has played back-to-back overtime games in a three-night span. Four different players saw 42 or more minutes of action in the loss to the 76ers, led by Lin’s 49. The Rockets had a 10-point lead after three quarters but Philadelphia was the stronger deep down the stretch of regulation and more spry in overtime. Dwight Howard had 23 points, 15 rebounds and six blocked shots and Chandler Parsons had 22 points, seven assists and four blocks.
ABOUT THE KNICKS (3-4): J.R. Smith made a solid contribution with 12 points and seven rebounds in 33 minutes in the victory over the Hawks. Smith was playing his second game after offseason surgery and a five-game suspension for violating the NBA drug policy. “I kind of went over my limit with him,” New York coach Mike Woodson said afterward. “I didn’t want to go over 30. But it’s tough when you’re trying to win games and you’re turning to your trainer and asking how many minutes he’s on the floor.”
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Houston has beaten New York seven straight times, including three wins at Madison Square Garden.
2. Lin averaged 14.6 points and 6.2 assists in his season with the Knicks.
3. Rookie SG Tim Hardaway Jr. is averaging 12.5 points off the bench over New York’s last two games.