Jeremy Lin bounced back from a poor performance to lead the Charlotte Hornets to a 114-100 win over the Boston Celtics on Monday night at the TD Garden.
Lin, who scored one point in 0-for-6 shooting during their 113-98 loss to the Washington Wizards on Sunday, filled up the stat sheet against the Celtics, scoring 25 points to go along with seven rebounds, five assists, five steals and a block in 39 minutes of playing time.
"I just felt (Sunday) was disappointing, probably my worst game of the season," Lin said after the game. "I wanted to come out here tonight, I didn't know what to expect, I didn't know that second quarter was going to be like that, but I knew I was going to be aggressive."
The Hornets had a slow start as they fell behind, 24-28, after the first period of the crucial match. But in the second quarter, Lin took the matter into own hands as he erupted for 19 points in the period to give the Hornets a commanding 63-41 lead at the half. The Hornets outscored the Celtics, 39-13, in the second period.
Boston had several comeback attempts in the second half but the Hornets held on to the win, improving their record to 47-34 with a game left to play in the regular season.
Kemba Walker also had a productive night, as he finished with 18 points to go along with six assists and five rebounds, while Al Jefferson posted 16 points and 11 rebounds. Marvin Williams chipped in 16 points, while Troy Daniels scored 11 points off the bench.
The Hornets are currently sixth in the Eastern Conference, and are in a tight race for the fourth to sixth place in the conference with the 48-33 Atlanta Hawks, 47-33 Miami Heat and 47-34 Celtics. Charlotte will face the Orlando Magic in their final regular-season game on Wednesday at Amway Center.
