It appears that point guard Jeremy Lin is still nursing a bad knee from last season, and that hurt the Rockets when they were corralled by the Spurs 116-107 Sunday night.
Lin, who played 25 minutes in a losing effort, had a forgettable performance, putting in a dismal 1-for-10 shooting display for only 4 points while turning the ball over twice.
Recently, Lin-who gained a cult-like following around the globe after emerging from the shadows to save the New York Knicks' season earlier this year-conceded that he was still struggling to get back on track after undergoing surgery on his left knee to repair a small meniscus tear.
"My speed and my explosiveness and my agility (are not) there yet," Lin said the other day as reported by the New York Daily News.
Noting Lin's weak performance on Sunday, Kyle Adams of Sports Illustrated has several theories as to what the problem with Lin could be.
"Is his knee bothering him more than it was lead to believe? Is he just adjusting to his new team and offense? Or is he coming back down to reality from all of the Linsanity? I think it's still too soon to tell. But it's also obvious his knee is bothering him," Adams writes.
Rookie center Omar Asik, meanwhile, had a strong showing when matched up against Spurs star and future Hall of Famer Tim Duncan, the rookie putting up 13 points and 11 rebounds over 26 minutes.
For the Spurs, guard Wesley Witherspoon led the team with 17 points, while Danny Green added 15 points on a 6-for-9 shooting display-including going 3-for-5 from three-point range.
Around the League; NBA Preseason Wrapup
Saturday
Making their highly anticipated debut, the newly-christened Brooklyn Nets made their debut; ironically, in the place they last called home for 35 years-New Jersey.
And they didn't fail to excite, delivering a 108-105 victory in overtime over the Philadelphia 76ers at the Atlantic City Convention Center in Atlantic City, N.J.
Nets star Brook Lopez scored 19 points while teammate Gerald Wallace put in 18 points of his own to go with his 7 rebounds and 2 assists for the Nets, while Philly guard Nick Young kept the Sixers in the game with 21 points and 4 assists off the bench.
After the game, Nets coach Avery Johnson told the Associated Press that he hoped to carry that momentum for his team into their regular season debut Nov. 1 against their crosstown rival New York Knicks.
"Hopefully, we'll carry it over into the Barclays Center that we've been all been anxiously awaiting for a long time," Johnson told the Press.
And speaking of the Knicks, in a Saturday overtime thriller at the XI Center in Hartford, CT., the Knicks pulled out a 98-95 nail biter over the Boston Celtics.
Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony led New York with 23 points while Chris Copeland-a new pickup at the forward position who spent the last five seasons playing pro ball in Europe-had an impressive showing, adding 21 points on 6-for-11 shooting for the 'Bockers.
The Knicks were playing without starting forward Amare Stoudemire, who was sitting out with a bruised left knee.
Tyson Chandler chipped in with 16 points for the Knicks, who are now 2-0 in the preseason. Meanwhile, Jared Sulliger led the Celtics with 14 points and Paul Pierce and Jeff Green had 12 points apiece for the Celtics.
Video highlights of the game can be seen here.
In Minneapolis, Min., the Minnesota Timberwolves pulled away with an 82-75 victory over the Chicago Bulls. Center Nikola Pekovic led the Wolves with a stellar performance that netted him 16 points, 17 rebounds and a steal. His Bulls counterpart at the center slot, Joakim Noah, led his team with 14 points and 13 rebounds.
On the west coast, the Utah Jazz made sure the Los Angeles Lakers had an off-key night, winning 99-86 on the road at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Calif. Guard Kobe Bryant had a strong showing for the Lakers with 18 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists, but Jazz center Enes Kanter countered with a double-double, scoring 14 points and grabbing 14 rebounds.
In Cleveland, Ohio, Washington Wizards forward Jan Vesely's 13 point, 5 rebound, 2-block performance led the Wizards to closely fought 99-95 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers, who were led by forward Tristan Thompson's impressive 18 points and 10 rebounds.
The Milwaukee Bucks, playing at home at the Bmo Harris Bradley Center, handily beat the Detroit Pistons 108-91 behind the strong play of forward Ersan Ilyasova's 22 points and 7 rebounds. Center Andre Drummond led the Pistons with 19 points, 10 rebounds and 2 assists.
Sunday
In another overseas game at the Mercedes-Benz Arena in Shanghai, China, the Clippers turned the tails and cooled off the Miami Heat 99-89. Clippers center DeAndre Jordan powered the Clippers with 18 points, 9 rebounds a 2 blocks, while the Heat were led by superstar forward LeBron James's 11 points, 4 assists and 3 steals.
And at the Fedexforum in Memphis, Tenn., forward Zach Randolph's 14 points, 10 rebounds and 3 assists were enough to take the Grizzlies to a home game victory over the Atlanta Hawks. Center Al Horford had 13 points and 5 assists for the Hawks.
For box scores, videos and team-by-team schedules of more NBA preseason action, visit www.nba.com.
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