NEW YORK _ Just when the Nets witnessed a fresh, dynamic reminder of the power of Jeremy Lin's presence, they suddenly had to deal with his absence again. And still they kept on going. Without the leader and point guard, who had given the Nets an inspired spring in their step, they had one of their most exciting finishes of the season.
His replacement, reserve point guard Randy Foye went up with the ball in his hand and the game on the line and made a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give the Nets a stirring 120-118 win over the Hornets at Barclays Center.
Foye's shot followed an offensive rebound basket bay Charlotte's Cody Zeller with 2.3 seconds left and completed a very eventful night.
With Lin back in the locker room, the Nets had big contributions down the stretch from Brook Lopez, who had 10 consecutive points in the fourth quarter and finished with 21. Bojan Bogdanovich (26 points) and Sean Kilpatrick (23) each hit big shot after big shot when the Nets needed someone to pick up the slack.
Lin signaled for a timeout and walked gingerly toward the Nets locker room with 7:47 remaining in the third quarter. Disconcerting for his team _ aside from the considerable fact that it was in the midst of an enthused run _ was that he had recently missed 17 games with a strained right hamstring.
Lin really seemed to have found his stride Monday night, refusing to let the Nets buckle again after having been routed in their previous three games. But he grimaced and seemed in discomfort after he was fouled on a drive only 1:10 into the third quarter. After he missed on another layup, he could not make it down the floor for defense and left with 7:47 remaining in the period. He left with 17 points and four assists in 22 minutes, 20 seconds.
The Hornets knew what to expect, having seen Lin's determination every day when he was on their squad last season. "I think his strengths are their strengths so he enhances what they want to do. He wants to play with pace. They're first in the NBA in pace, they're 10th in fast break points," Charlotte coach Steve Clifford said before the game.
Kenny Atkinson was optimistic before the game about finally having all 15 of his players healthy and available for the first time all season. "We've been trying to find the right lineup, the right combinations. You do need a certain sample size to see a group together. We're still trying to grasp what our best lineups are, and when to put in our best lineup," the Nets coach said.
What they learned in the first half Monday night is that their best lineup is whatever one that has Lin on the floor. This game could have gotten away from the Nets, who had been thrashed three times last week. When the Hornets lead was 31-18 with 2:56 left in the first quarter, there was every reason for the Nets to fear that they were headed for an early blowout.
But Lin simply would not let that happen. Going head-to-head against Kemba Walker, who is emerging as one of the league's dominant point guards, Lin kept driving and dishing off and hitting big shots. By halftime, he had a game-high 15 points and the Nets had at least a breath of hope.
Instead of having one of their second-half lapses, they breathed life into the arena right to the end. Now, their hope is that Lin will not be out for long.
