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Lin leads Knicks into Toronto

Feb 14, 2012 - 3:46 PM (Sports Network) - Linsanity goes north of the border this evening when Jeremy Lin and the New York Knicks shoot for a sixth straight win against the Toronto Raptors at Air Canada Centre.

One night after netting a career-best 38 points against the Los Angeles Lakers, the Lincredible run continued in Minnesota, as the point guard from nowhere scored 20 points, including a go ahead free throw with 4.9 seconds remaining in the Knicks' 100-98 win over the Timberwolves.

"Obviously it was an ugly one. It was a gutsy one, it was a road win," said Lin. "Everybody was tired. But that's the duty of basketball. We never gave up. I struggled a lot tonight but I mean everyone who came in gave us a lift and picked us up."

The Knicks, who will start a five-game homestand after tonight's tilt, haven't won six in a row since a seven-game run from March 28-April 10.

"We've talked about it all year, that if we got a point guard who can set people up, then we'll be better off," head coach Mike D'Antoni said. "And it's happened."

Lin also had eight assists, while Iman Shumpert added 20 points and Landry Fields contributed 19 for the Knicks, who are expected to have Amare Stoudemire back in the lineup tonight. Stoudemire, of course, has missed the team's last four games following the tragic death of his brother.

"The only positive for us during that whole week was we were watching the basketball games and we were watching Linsanity," Stoudemire said. "My family was getting a kick out of it. That's the only smiles they really had all week."

The team's other star, Carmelo Anthony, remains sidelined with a groin injury, but could return by the end of the week.

Lin's strong play was rewarded on Monday when he was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week. In the four games since taken over the starting reins for New York, Lin has averaged 27.3 points, 8.3 assists and 2.0 steals. He also became the first player in NBA history to record at least 20 points and seven assists in each of his first four starts.

Toronto, meanwhile, enters tonight's tilt on the heels of a heartbreaking 94-92 loss to the Lakers.

After Kobe Bryant gave the Lakers a one-point edge with a right baseline jumper, Toronto was called for a five-second violation on the ensuing inbounds pass. Bryant then made 1-of-2 from the line to make it 94-92.

With 3.7 seconds remaining, DeRozan received the inbounds pass, but Metta World Peace defended him well and his shot from the left corner at the buzzer came up well short.

"I like my money, what little bit of money I make. I don't want to send it to the league. Mr. Foster saw it different," Raptors head coach Dwayne Casey said of the five-second call.

Jose Calderon netted a career-high 30 points for Toronto, which has lost four of its last five games.

The Raptors beat the Knicks earlier in the year and have won 11 of their last 14 at home in this series.