The New York Knicks have spent the season trying to find a point guard capable of running coach Mike D’Antoni’s system. They may have finally found their answer. Seldom-used reserve Jeremy Lin stepped up Saturday and recorded 25 points, seven assists and one turnover in a team-high 36 minutes.
Utah at New York (-3, 194)
When: 7:30 PM ET, Monday, February 6, 2012
Where: Madison Square Garden, New York, New York
THE STORY: An afterthought who was claimed off waivers on Dec. 27, Lin will get a chance to prove that performance was no fluke when the Knicks host the Utah Jazz on Monday. The Jazz are coming off their best defensive performance in weeks but are drawing more headlines because of a “feud” between owner Greg Miller and former star Karl Malone, who have traded bards on the radio and internet over the last few days. That has taken the focus off an inconsistent on-court product that has dropped four of its last seven games.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, ROOT Sports (Utah), MSG (New York), NBATV
ABOUT THE JAZZ (13-9): Utah has lucked out with a home-heavy early schedule but will now begin to pay the price with 13 of the next 18 on the road. The Jazz have allowed an average of 113.3 points in their last four losses and sit 23rd in the league in scoring defense, surrendering 96.8. They showed a stronger effort on that end Saturday, dictating the pace against the Los Angeles Lakers in a 96-87 victory.
ABOUT THE KNICKS (9-15): Baron Davis is still the point guard-in-waiting, but the longer it takes him to get in shape, the longer Lin will have to prove he belongs in the rotation over Iman Shumpert and Mike Bibby. New York needs all the help it can get on offense and Lin showed an ability to work the pick-and-roll, regularly feeding lobs to Tyson Chandler and Amare Stoudemire. Still, the Knicks have won only three of their last 14 games and questions continue to linger about D’Antoni’s job security.
BUZZER BEATERS:
1. New York snapped a four-game losing streak in the series with a 131-109 victory at Madison Square Garden last March.
2. Lin saw little playing time as a rookie with Golden State in 2010-11 but did get into two games against Utah, averaging 2.5 points in just under four minutes.
3. Jazz guard Raja Bell (adductor) returned to the lineup Saturday after a four-game absence and scored five points in 23 minutes.
PREDICTION: Jazz 98, Knicks 87
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