Lin '10, Rockets Snap Losing Streak

For the first time in 13 days, Jeremy Lin ’10’s Houston Rockets could slap hands and smile as the final buzzer rang. After seven consecutive losses, Houston came from behind in Monday’s game at the Charlotte Bobcats, taking the lead in the fourth quarter and winning shortly after, 100-94.

The effort was largely led by Rockets James Harden and Marcus Morris, who tallied a combined 50 points, 15 rebounds, and nine assists. Lin, for his part, contributed four points on one-of-five shooting, collecting three rebounds and two assists in 24 minutes of playing time—an amount nine minutes under his season average.

The oddity in his minutes came largely from the fact that Lin did not play one second in the fourth quarter—Houston head coach Kevin McHale elected to go with rookie point guard Patrick Beverly instead. When asked about the basis of this decision, McHale did not give much insight.

“We were just sticking with what worked,” McHale explained. “[Beverly has] got to get with what we’re doing a little bit. He hasn’t been here very long. Practice tomorrow is going to be big for him. He’ll get some more sets down and get some stuff we’re doing. Hopefully we can start building on this.”

While the emergence of Beverly may not be beneficial for Lin’s time on the floor, it was certainly positive for the Rockets on Monday afternoon. With the squad’s win and the Minnesota Timberwolves’ loss, Houston gains a full game in the standings on the T-Wolves, launching it back into the final playoff seed for the time being.