Jeremy Lin’s shooting percentage has improved dramatically since a violent head collision in the 3rd quarter of Friday night’s game in Milwaukee, dispelling any doubts about Lin’s ability to take punishments and come up swishing.
The collision brought the left side of Lin’s head hard against the forehead of Bucks power forward Larry Sanders. Sanders stands 6-11 and weighs 235 to Lin’s 6-3 and 200 pounds. The collision buckled Lin’s knees and caused him to sink to the floor. Initially Sanders appeared to be more severely injured. He stayed motionless on the court as Lin struggled back to his feet and walked off the court.
Sanders was able to stay in the game, however, while profuse bleeding forced Lin to leave for the locker room. He had to get five stitches but returned in the 4th quarter.
Remarkably, the injury had an immediate positive impact on Lin’s performance. Before the collision came in the second minute of the 3rd quarter, Lin had gone 0-for-5, scoring just 2 points on free throws. When he returned stitched up in the 4th quarter, however, he immediately scored a layup, followed by two more layups for 3-for-3 shooting. He even dished 4 assists, 1 more than he had logged before the head injury. The 115-101 win over the Bucks no doubt helped ease Lin’s pain.
The beneficial impact of Friday night’s collision seemed to stay with Lin into Saturday’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers. He shot 7 for 13 for 20 points, including 3 for 5 3-pointers for one of his best shooting performances of the season. He added 5 assists and four steals while giving up 6 turnovers. Lin’s solid shooting was key to the 112-104 win in a hard-fought seesaw battle.
The Rockets have been on a tear the past three weeks, winning 11 of the last 14 games. They will have two days of rest before hosting the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday.
