Jeremy Lin returned to the Brooklyn Nets lineup after being sidelined for more than six weeks with a hamstring injury. Lin suffered the injury on November 2 when the Nets was still 2-3. Now they are 6-17 and have a lot of ground to cover.
In the absence of Lin, Isaiah Whitehead assumed the ball handling responsibility for Brooklyn. Brook Lopez has expanded his game outside of the three-point line while Sean Kilpatrick slid into the role as the team's second scoring option.
Despite the losses and some blowouts, the Nets have remained competitive. They play sloppy basketball every once in a while but they always play with energy. Now that Lin is back, they have a renewed energy and will look to turn things around.
In his first game back, the Nets faced James Harden and the surging Houston Rockets. The Nets lost the game 122-118 but they showed plenty of poise and fight and nearly stole a win from the Rockets.
The Nets fought back from a 15-point deficit in the fourth quarter and found themselves up by three points 116-113 with less than two minutes left in the game. The two teams went back and forth exchanging leads and making game-tying baskets.
With the Rockets up 119-118, Lin found himself open behind the 3-point line and threw an air ball. "I probably could have driven the ball, but I love that shot and think I'm capable of hitting it," Lin said.
The Rockets went on to win the game behind big games from Harden (36 points, eight rebounds, 11 assists) and Eric Gordon (24 points, 6-8 from 3-point range). Lin finished the game with 10 points, three rebounds, seven assists, a steal, and a block in 20 minutes of action.
"I was really thrilled," Nets coach Kenny Atkinson said. "You usually expect a guy to be rusty, but I didn't see that. He had great energy and played with great poise," he added.
The Nets left the game with high hopes despite the loss. "We did a good job of matching their energy or surpassing it," Lin said. "Disappointed in the outcome, for sure; but I'm proud of the guys that battled," he added.
