Now that trade rumors about him have taken a backseat after his team decided to keep him past the deadline, Jeremy Lin showed what he is capable of doing on Sunday.
Lin had his best game in a Los Angeles Lakers uniform as he led his team to a 118-111 victory over the Boston Celtics in a classic showdown on Sunday night at Staples Center.
Lin, who is averaging 10.6 points to go along with 4.5 assists and 2.4 rebounds per game this season, came off the bench again and erupted for 25 points on 10-for-15 shooting to go along with six assists, providing the much needed lift to help the Lakers snap their seven-game losing skid.
"Jeremy Lin killed us the whole night," Celtics coach Brad Stevens said of Lin. "He was really effective in a lot of ways -- not only scoring the ball, but also getting into the paint and making plays for others."
Led by Lin, the Lakers looked on their way to an easy victory after building a 98-89 lead with 3:54 left to play in the game, but Avery Bradley led a late rally to help the Celtics force overtime. However, Lin settled the Lakers down in overtime, tallying four points and three assists en route to the victory.
Wesley Johnson also had a big night for the Lakers as he finished with 22 points to go along with five rebounds and two assists, while Nick Young added 19 points off the bench. Carlos Boozer, who started at power forward on Sunday night, did not disappoint, finishing with 12 points and eight rebounds for the Lakers.
With the win, the Lakers improved to 14-41, but are still in 14th place in the Western Conference standings and are just 1.5 games ahead of the cellar-dwelling Minnesota Timberwolves, who hold a 12-42 card.
On the other hand, Jae Crowder led the Celtics with 22 points on 8-for-14 shooting and seven rebounds, while Isaiah Thomas was impressive in his debut for Boston, racking up 21 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals.
The Celtics dropped to 20-33 and are still in 12th place in the Eastern Conference standings. They are still in running for a spot in the playoffs as they are just two games behind eighth-placed Brooklyn Nets, who has a 22-31 record.
Watch the highlights of the Lakers-Celtics match below. More video highlights and complete box scores and play-by-play info are available on this link from NBA.com.
