Jeremy Lin for the win; Mavs down Blazers in double OT

Five games in seven nights. Five wins. 26.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, 8.0 assists, and 2 steals per game. Most points for any player in his first four starts since the ABA/NBA merger, surpassing Allen Iverson.

Thus ended one of the most improbably historical weeks the NBA has ever witnessed.

And to cap it, Jeremy Lin, for the win.

In a much anticipated matchup between two of the most up-and-coming point guards in the league, Lin ended his Cinderella week by holding off Ricky Rubio and the Timberwolves 100-98 in front of a capacity crowd of 20,232 in Minneapolis, the most since 2004.

It wasn’t all fun and games this time around for the sensational Lin, however, as he faced real adversity for the first time in his miraculous run as the likely player of the week candidate.

From Pat Borzi of The New York Times:  “Long after he helped lift the Knicks to their fifth consecutive victory, Jeremy Lin hobbled to his locker as if he had been repeatedly kicked in the shins. Lin said he was not injured, just worn out after his seventh game in 10 days, a grueling stretch he never faced at Harvard. No wonder. Although Lin scored 20 points in the Knicks’ 100-98 victory over Minnesota for his fifth consecutive 20-point game, he struggled to do so. Lin, the newest Knicks sensation, shot 8 for 24 from the field, had six turnovers, and managed only 5 points in the second half… Lin continued his remarkable play a night after his 38-point performance against the Los Angeles Lakers at Madison Square Garden, with 15 points in the first half Saturday on an assortment of drives and jumpers. But by the end of the third quarter, he appeared exhausted — breathing hard and leaving layups and jumpers short on the rim. Lin scored only 3 points in the fourth quarter. “I struggled a lot tonight,” Lin said. “They did a good job of playing me in the gray areas, making my decisions not necessarily clear.”

Rubio was excellent in constantly bothering Lin with his length and peskiness, but the key was to consistently force Lin to the left while clogging the lane.

In came the rest of the Knicks, who rescued Lin with one tough shot after another while completely shutting down the Timberwolves on the defensive end down the stretch. It was a tribute to Lin’s mindset as he credited and praised the team all week long for unity and great defense.

From Al Iannazzone of Newsday:  “Lin needed more help than some other nights in this impressive stretch, and he got it. Iman Shumpert scored 20 points, Landry Fields 19 points and (Steve) Novak 15, including two humongous 3-pointers in the last 3:03. The Knicks’ fourth-quarter defense also was tremendous in pulling out the win in the third straight game they played without both Carmelo Anthony (strained groin) and Amar’e Stoudemire (death in the family). The Timberwolves scored 87 points through three quarters. In the fourth, the Knicks held them to 11 points, only five in the last 6:40. “We locked up,” Chandler said. “It was unbelievable. It was a tough game. I didn’t know where we were going to find the energy.”… After Rubio’s layup gave Minnesota a 98-95 lead, D’Antoni ran a play for Novak and the Knicks executed perfectly. Novak drilled the tying 3-pointer. On the ensuing trip, Rubio lost the ball and the Knicks got it…The Timberwolves had a chance to tie or take the lead, but Rubio turned it over again. Bill Walker was fouled with 1.3 seconds left and also hit one of two attempts. On Minnesota’s final possession, Love launched a three-pointer and hit nothing — and the Knicks celebrated another unexpected victory, with Lin in the middle of it all.”

Despite all the struggles, Lin still managed to assist on three of the Knicks final four baskets and provided the tie-breaking point by hitting a pressure packed free throw.

After losing 11 of 13 games, the Knicks have won five straight, inching closer to .500 with a 13-15 record. Baron Davis, whom some believed could be the savior just a week ago, will likely have to settle for a bench role when he returns.

Lost in all the Lin hoopla was yet another dominant performance from Kevin Love with 32 points and 21 rebounds. Nikola Pekovic wasn’t far behind with 21 points and 13 rebounds. The duo combined to shoot 19-of-31 but the rest of the team shot just 18-of-53, including 3-of-19 in the fourth quarter for a season low 11 points. The Wolves also committed 22 turnovers including two huge ones by Rubio that helped cost them the game.

From Kent Youngblood of Star Tribune:  “After losing to the Knicks, Rick Adelman said his team is being too casual with the ball… Lackadaisical, Wolves coach Rick Adelman said that after his team had turned the ball over 23 times. This after a 28-turnover performance vs. Dallas on Friday. “Again, turnovers,” Adelman lamented. “It seems like we’re back where we were three weeks ago. You just can’t keep giving teams possession like that. And then you lose a close game …” …Out of a timeout, Rubio committed the Wolves’ final turnover of the night, dribbling the ball off his foot. Afterward, Rubio took the blame. It was his turnover in the lane that led to Lin’s free throws at the other end. And it was his turnover coming out of the timeout. Of course, it was also Rubio (12 points, eight assists, two turnovers) whose driving left-handed layup with 39.9 seconds left gave the Wolves a 98-95 lead.”

The Timberwolves have now lost three straight after moving a game above .500.

Dirk Nowitzki, despite struggling with his shot due to double teams throughout the night, hit the one that mattered the most in a double-overtime victory over the Blazers 97-94. Nowitzki made just six of 19 shots before spinning to his right and hitting a tough fade-away to put the Mavericks up for good with 16.5 seconds to go.

The real hero of the game, however, was Delonte West who scored the first six points in the second extra period.

From Dwain Price of Fort Worth Star-Telegram: “That off-season acquisition of Delonte West is looking better and better with each game. West came off the bench Saturday night to score six straight points in the second overtime to lead the Dallas Mavericks to a hard-fought 97-94 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers before 20,457 at American Airlines Center. With starting point guard Jason Kidd on a minutes count, the Mavs turned to West for direction, and he stepped up and made big bucket after big bucket. “He was phenomenal,” coach Rick Carlisle said. “The guy stays ready and he’s a money player. “He’s had that reputation since he’s been in the league, really. We had been battling pretty good, but we needed a lift. J-Kidd was at his minutes ceiling for the night and [West] was the guy.” West said he was spurred on by Lyndon Bay, a teenager with a rare kidney disorder whom West invited to Saturday’s game. “For the last 12 minutes until that overtime, it was hard for me to get loose,” West said. “I thought about it — I had my man Lyndon Bay at the game — I thought about all the things he’s been through and I just drew my strength from him. “I went out there and played tough, like he would want me to.”

The Mavericks, 17-11, seem to enjoy three-game swings as they have now won three straight after losing three straight after winning three straight.

From Joe Freeman of The Oregonian: It was another forgettable shooting night for Blazers guards. (Ray) Felton (4 for 17), Jamal Crawford (6 for 23) and Wes Matthews (3 for 10) combined to shoot 9 for 33, including 3 for 15 from three-point range. Felton, in particular, hurt the Blazers. He finished with more turnovers (three) than assists (two) and missed two critical shots in double overtime. Felton’s ineffective play prompted McMillan to play Crawford at point guard during much of the fourth quarter and for long stretches of both overtimes. “Those guys over there in the other locker room were NBA champions last year,” Wallace said. “We just came into their house, took their best punches … gave them our best punches and they barely squeaked a out a win. We feel like we were the better team tonight, they were just able to get a win some kind of way.”

The Blazers, 15-13, continue an up and down season as they barely hold the seventh seed in the West by half a game over the Jazz. If they want to recapture their early season success, the guard play of Raymond Felton must improve.

From Jason Quick of The Oregonian: “But what is most alarming is that Felton is doing nothing to create shots for his teammates. You wonder why the Blazers’ offense is so stagnant? It’s because Felton isn’t beating his man off the dribble, or even trying to. He has been reduced to a simple perimeter passer. McMillan is cautious of benching Felton for fear that it will strip the veteran of whatever confidence he has. And  the coach is not exactly convinced  there is a clear improvement waiting in the wings: Jamal Crawford has also struggled with his shot and turnovers, and rookie Nolan Smith has been tentative in most of his limited minutes. But at the same time, the Blazers coach can sense a season is slipping away. He gave himself 20 games, he said, to allow his players to work out their kinks, be it lack of conditioning, lack of rhythm, or getting used to new teammates.”

Elsewhere…

• The Magic defeated the Bucks on the road 99-94. Jason Richardson starred with 31 points including nine 3-pointers as Dwight Howard struggled to find a rhythm against the Bucks stingy defense, shooting only 5-of-15 for 11 points and 14 rebounds. After shooting a much improved 44 percent in the month of January, Brandon Jennings is regressing to the mean, shooting only 3-for-14 and hitting at a 30 percent clip in seven February games.
• The Nuggets beat the Pacers 113-109 on the road for a much needed win to end a five game losing streak. Ty Lawson led all scorers with 27 points and Aaron Afflalo added 23 points. The Pacers suffered yet another tough loss and have now lost three of their past four games to fall to the fifth seed in the East.
• The Clippers easily defeated the Bobcats 111-86 to win five of their past six road games. Blake Griffin led the way with 21 points and 10 rebounds as all five starters scored in double figures. The Bobcats have now lost four of their last six games by 25 points or more. Their record now stands at 3-25, a winning percentage of .125.
• Jrue Holiday scored 20 points along with five other players in double figures as the Sixers halted a two-game losing streak and downed the short-handed Cavaliers 99-84. Anderson Varejao missed the game and will be out indefinitely after the team announced that he suffered a broken right wrist. They are now 0-2 with Kyrie Irving out of the lineup
• After missing 22 games due to a hand injury, Manu Ginobili returned to help the Spurs cruise by the Nets 103-89. The Spurs have yet to lose in the month of February and have now won seven straight games. The Nets season appears to be slipping away as they lost for the eighth time in nine tries.
• With solid defense and Steve Nash directing traffic, busted lip and all, the Suns defeated the Kings 98-84. Jared Dudley led the Suns with 20 points and 10 rebounds, while Tyreke Evans was held to just four points on one-of-nine shooting by the 39 year old Grant Hill.  DeMarcus Cousins and Marcus Thornton were the only players in double figures with 26 points and 21 points, respectively.