BY TIM REYNOLDS THE ASSOCIATED PRESS ADVERTISING MIAMI — Jeremy Lin offered no excuses. He and the Knicks had no answers. Lin’s rapid rise from unknown to superstar was slowed big-time Thursday night by the Miami Heat, who overwhelmed the
BY TIM REYNOLDS
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
MIAMI — Jeremy Lin offered no excuses.
He and the Knicks had no answers.
Lin’s rapid rise from unknown to superstar was slowed big-time Thursday night by the Miami Heat, who overwhelmed the NBA’s hottest story with a swarming defense that the Knicks’ new starting point guard could not solve.
Forcing Lin into easily the worst game of his remarkable run as New York’s newest star, Miami topped the Knicks 102-88 — the eighth straight win for the NBA-leading Heat, all by at least 12 points.
Chris Bosh scored 25 points, Dwyane Wade added 22 and LeBron James finished with 20 points, nine rebounds and eight assists for Miami, which will go into the All-Star break with the NBA’s best record (27-7).
Lin’s final line: 1-for-11 from the field, eight points, three assists — a long way from the 23.9 points and 9.2 assists he had been averaging over his first 11 games in the Knicks’ rotation, when he breathed immeasurable life into a team that was floundering.
“First of all, he deserves all of the credit he’s been given,” Wade said. “We knew it was going to be a tough task guarding him. … He’s a good player, but we put a lot of pressure on him and it was a success.”
A big success.
Lin turned the ball over eight times, saying afterward that the Heat defense made it difficult even to dribble. His last shot — like most of his others — bounced off the rim with 6 seconds left, the outcome already decided, and he simply walked quietly off the court into the locker room.
“A learning experience,” Lin said. “A tough one.”
But for a while, the game lived up to the hype.
Spike Lee, Floyd Mayweather and Chad Ochocinco all sat within seven seats of each other on one sideline, Mike Stanton and Logan Morrison of the Miami Marlins were on another sideline, and members of the New York Mets’ front office reportedly jumped aboard a helicopter for the quick trip from the team’s spring-training home in Port St. Lucie down to Miami.
Even the First Fan took note of the hubbub surrounding the game.
“In another life, I would be staying for the Knicks-Heat game tonight, then going up to Orlando for NBA All-Star weekend,” President Barack Obama told cheering students at the University of Miami earlier in the day. “But these days, I’ve got a few other things on my plate. Just a few.”
When Air Force One was headed to Orlando for a Thursday night fundraiser, yes, there were televisions tuned to Heat-Knicks on board.
And the Heat put on a show.
“We have some work to do,” said Carmelo Anthony, who led the Knicks with 19 points. “Nobody said it would happen overnight.”
“I’m sure they were all geeked up for him,” Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni said of the Heat defense against Lin. “And they took the challenge, and they did a great job. It’s hard to be Peter Pan every day.”
Hawks 83, Magic 78
ATLANTA — Josh Smith scored 22 points and pulled down 12 rebounds to help Atlanta snap a three-game skid with an win over Orlando.
Jannero Pargo added 15 points, and Willie Green had 14 for the Hawks.
J.J. Redick finished with 13 points, and Dwight Howard had 12 for the Magic, who had won two straight and six of seven.
The Magic recovered from a 10-point second quarter by scoring 25 in the third to pull within three heading into the final period. Howard’s lay-in cut the lead to 69-68 with 4:42 left, but the Magic never got any closer.
Spurs 114, Nuggets 99
DENVER — DeJuan Blair tied a career high with 28 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, helping the Spurs beat the Nuggets to wrap up a nine-game road swing.
Buoyed by a 19-1 run midway through the first quarter, the Spurs jumped out to a big lead and then held on at the end. They’ve won 12 of their last 13 heading into the All-Star break and lead the Southwest Division by three games over the defending champion Dallas Mavericks.
All five starters for the Spurs scored in double figures. Tony Parker had 16 points and 12 assists, while Tim Duncan added 18 points. Richard Jefferson hit 5 of 7 3-point attempts and scored 17.
Corey Brewer scored 23 points for the Nuggets, who have lost 12 of their last 16.
Thunder 100, Lakers 85
OKLAHOMA CITY — Kevin Durant scored 33 points, Russell Westbrook added 19 and the Thunder beat the Lakers to head into the All-Star break tied for the league’s best record.
The Thunder won their 12th straight home game and denied Los Angeles the chance to head into the midseason break with back-to-back statement wins on the road. The Lakers had won at defending NBA champion Dallas a night earlier and were trying to follow it by knocking off the other half of last year’s West finals.
Kobe Bryant scored 24 points but went 7-for-24 from the field for Los Angeles. Pau Gasol had 22 points and nine rebounds.
Oklahoma City and Miami both have NBA-leading 27-7 records at the break.
