Jeremy Lin 2017 News: Returning Lin Comes Up Big in First Win in 17 Games
Jeremy Lin's first full game since his injury turned the tide for the beleaguered New York Knicks, snapping their 16-game losing streak in a March 2 victory over the Sacramento Kings.
Lin eventually finished with 17 points. In the tight contest in the fourth quarter, Lin worked hard with Brook Lopez, scoring 14 of the team's 18 points, putting the Nets over the Kings in a 109–100 win. This victory has snapped a 16-game losing streak, and it also constitutes their third road win in the entire season. The Nets Daily has the quarter-on-quarter overview of the game's progress.
Lin also tallied five assists to go with his 17 points, and he has put up that stat line in 20 minutes. Lopez ended up with 24 points and eight rebounds. The pair became the go-to offense option as the Nets closed the game out.
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Lin talked about how he missed the pressure of the fourth quarter, as covered by Newsday. "It felt great," Lin said. "They told me the previous two games — I thought I was going to play in the fourth, but they were like, 'No, you're not going to play in the fourth.' So that was kind of frustrating," he added.
Things were close enough that coach Kenny Atkinson felt it was worth it to send out Lin in the last quarter. Lin went on to say, "But tonight, I knew I was going to be back out there, so I was trying to stay more mentally locked in. That's the funnest time. I love the fourth quarter."
This victory improves the Nets record for a bit (10–49), staving off the 50-loss mark for at least one game.
This game also marked the first time this season that all 14 players were healthy for the game. Andrew Nicholson and newcomer K. J. McDaniels were the two inactives on this Sacramento road trip.
