Jeremy Lin scored a game-high 27 points and a career-high 11 assists as the New York Knicks extended their win streak by rallying in the fourth quarter to beat Toronto 90-87 on Tuesday.
Lin scored the game-winning three pointer with half a second left in the fourth for the Knicks, who have won six consecutive games.
Lin also surpassed Shaquille O’Neal’s league record for the most points in his first five games as a starter. Lin has 136 points over that span, compared with O’Neal’s 129.
“I just wanted to make sure I got a good shot at the end of the clock,” Lin said. “We had so many active hands. Everybody with deflections, rebounds and we clamped it down.
Lin got off to a slow start on Tuesday but picked it up in the second half.
“The coverage was little different today, something I hadn’t seen,” he said. “I just tried to stay aggressive.”
New York’s Amare Stoudemire had 21 points and nine rebounds in his first game back after missing four consecutive following the death of his brother.
Lin has carried the Knicks during the win streak. He had a career-best 38 points against the Los Angeles Lakers and followed it up with a 20-point performance in a 100-98 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Jose Calderon scored 25 points, nine assists, and seven rebounds for the Raptors.
“The guy has heart,” Stoudemire said of Lin. “He played with such courage out there. I was amazed and am still somewhat amazed by the way he’s playing.”
New York trailed by 12 points early in the fourth quarter and by nine with just under four minutes remaining. The Knicks were also behind by three with just over one minute left in the fourth.
“I’m thankful that my coach and team-mates trust me with the ball at the end of the game,” Lin said. “I like having it at the end of the game. I’m just very thankful.”
The Knicks’ other star player, Carmelo Anthony, is out with a groin injury. He is expected to return by the weekend.
LeBron James scored 23 points as the Miami Heat blew out the Indiana Pacers, 105-90, for its third straight road win in as many nights.
Tim Duncan had 18 points with 13 rebounds, Frenchman Tony Parker scored eight of his 14 points in the fourth quarter and the visiting San Antonio Spurs won their eighth in a row after holding off the Detroit Pistons, 99-95.
Elsewhere: Los Angeles defeated Atlanta 86-78; the Chicago Bulls survived the visiting Sacramento Kings 121-115; the Memphis Grizzlies topped the visiting Houston Rockets 93-83; the Oklahoma City Thunder crushed the visiting Utah Jazz 111-85; the Denver Nuggets routed the visiting Phoenix Suns 109-92; and the visiting Washington Wizards surprised the Portland Trail Blazers 124-109.
