Photo by Associated Press/Henny Ray Abrams
Jeremy Lin’s return to the Madison Square Garden was a memorable one exploding the New York Knicks on Monday night 109-96.
Lin’s impact throughout the game reminisced his glory days with the Knicks. His motives to create shots for himself and his teammates was relevant over the course of the victory. The former Harvard guard posted an impressive stat sheet stuffer dropping 22 points, eight assists, and four rebounds.
“And for me, it was great to be back and it was a lot of fun to play on that court again,” Lin stated after the game.
His co-pilot, James Harden, resumed his outstanding play producing 28 points, 10 rebounds, and three assists on the big stage. Lin and Harden may have started a momentum going forward into the season between themselves as a lot of questioning has been around if these two players correlate.
Photo by Associated Press
The home team, New York Knicks, were nowhere to be found offensively and defensively. Mike Woodson’s team usually allows only 96.1 points per game this game a total different story in letting opponent score 106 points.
Mainly, the point guard tandem did not show up. Jason Kidd and Raymond Felton combined for a total of 19 points shooting 9-27 from the field (Kidd: 2-9).
Granted their star player Carmelo Anthony did not play due to a sprained left ankle. There was no urgency from the players on the roster to stop Lin and score baskets.
The player of the game for the Knicks was Chris Copeland. Copeland, the 28-year-old small forward made a name for himself recording 29 points, five rebounds, and two steals. The former Colorado forward has averaged 5.7 points and 0.9 rebounds per game. His performance may establish an argument for him to play more.
New York will look to bounce back against new rival Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday at 7 p.m. This contest can be seen on ESPN.
