It was not officially labelled as "Linsanity" but Jeremy Lin's performance on Monday night made headlines, as he led the Charlotte Hornets to a 91-88 win over the San Antonio Spurs on Monday night at Time Warner Cable Arena.
Lin, who is popular for his historic "Linsanity" moment with the New York Knicks in 2012, caught fire against the Spurs, as he finished with 29 points on 11-for-18 shooting, including a perfect 4-for-4 clip from beyond the arc.
After the game, Lin, who is playing in the first season of his two-year deal worth $4.37 million with the Hornets, thanked God for helping him bounce back from a string of unimpressive performances for Charlotte.
"We just turned it up," Lin said via NBA.com. "We just played hard. I'm so thankful to God because I've been struggling so much. We lost one the other night we felt like we shouldn't have lost. So to come out here and get this win is a huge boost for us."
The Hornets trailed 30-7 early in the second quarter, but they regrouped and pulled within 15 points at the half. Courtney Lee then erupted for 14 points in the third quarter to spark a huge rally, while Lin finished the job in the final period, where he scored 15 of his 29 points.
Lin, who averaged just 7.0 points on 34 percent shooting in his last four games, converted three three-pointers in the final quarter and knocked down the go-ahead jumper with 48 seconds left. Lin then made two free throws to give the Hornets a 91-88 lead en route to the win.
Hornets coach Steve Clifford praised Lin after the match, calling the former Harvard University a "catalyst" after breaking down the Spurs' defense, which sparked their huge come-from-behind victory. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich also had nothing but praises for Lin.
"He was spectacular," Popovich said of Lin. "We couldn't stop him all night. He had a great night. He was wonderful."
Lin's big night helped the Hornets improve their record to 40-30 and stay in the race for one of the top four playoffs spots in the Eastern Conference, which could give them homecourt advantage at least in the opening round of the postseason.
The Hornets are currently in sixth place in the Eastern Conference behind the Cleveland Cavaliers (50-20), Toronto Raptors (48-21), Miami Heat (40-29), Atlanta Hawks (41-30) and Boston Celtics (41-30).
In case you missed it, watch Lin's "spectacular" performance below.
