NEW YORK – Jeremy Lin had an easy night ahead of his toughest opponent yet, and the New York Knicks tuned up for their trip to Miami by beating the Atlanta Hawks 99-82 on Wednesday night.
Lin had 17 points and nine assists, sitting out most of the fourth quarter in a rare game during his remarkable run that the Knicks needed little from him.
Carmelo Anthony scored 15 points in his second game back from injury for the Knicks, who led the depleted Hawks by 25 points at halftime. New York bounced back from a loss to New Jersey on Monday and won for the ninth time in 11 games since Lin joined the rotation.
They visit Miami today in their final game before the All-Star break.
PACERS 102, BOBCATS 88: In Charlotte, N.C., Tyler Hansbrough had a season-high 22 points and nine rebounds as Indiana beat the Bobcats for the ninth straight time. Danny Granger had 12 points, and A.J. Price, Paul George, Dahntay Jones, Lou Amundson and Darren Collison also scored in double digits. Corey Maggette scored 20 points for the Bobcats, who’ve lost 18 of 19.
BULLS 110, BUCKS 91: In Chicago, Carlos Boozer scored 20 points and Derrick Rose and Luol Deng each added 16 for the Bulls. Joakim Noah had 13 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists for the first triple-double by a Chicago center in about 35 years.
THUNDER 119, CELTICS 104: In Oklahoma City, Russell Westbrook scored 31 points and Kevin Durant added 28 as the Thunder earned its 11th straight win at home. Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett scored 23 points apiece to lead Boston.
MAGIC 108, NETS 91: In Newark, N.J., Dwight Howard had 20 points and 17 rebounds as Orlando cruised past New Jersey. Glen Davis, who hit his first seven shots, added 16 points for Orlando, which won for the eighth time in 11 games. Deron Williams had 23 points, six rebounds and eight assists to lead New Jersey.
KINGS 115, WIZARDS 107: In Washington, Tyreke Evans added 22 points and DeMarcus Cousins had 16 points and 16 rebounds for Sacramento, which broke a six-game losing streak. Jordan Crawford scored 32 points, and John Wall had 21 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds for the Wizards.
RAPTORS 103, PISTONS 93: In Toronto, DeMar DeRozan scored 23 points and Aaron Gray had 12 points and 12 rebounds as the Raptors snapped a three-game losing streak. Greg Monroe had 30 points and 14 rebounds for the Pistons.
HORNETS 89, CAVALIERS 84: In Cleveland, Chris Kaman scored 21 points as New Orleans held off a late Cleveland rally. Antawn Jamison led the Cavs with 22 points.
TIMBERWOLVES 100, JAZZ 98: In Minneapolis, Luke Ridnour hit a floater in the lane at the buzzer, capping Minnesota’s comeback from 18 points down in the fourth quarter.
ROCKETS 93, 76ERS 87: In Houston, Luis Scola had 19 points and 10 rebounds the Rockets, who’ve won three in a row and snapped a four-game home-court losing streak to Philadelphia.
