NEW YORK — Point guard Jeremy Lin of the New York Knicks will have left knee surgery and miss six weeks, likely ending his amazing breakthrough season.
Lin had an MRI exam this week that revealed a small, chronic meniscus tear, and he elected to have surgery next week in New York.
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With the regular season ending April 26, Lin is done unless the Knicks make a deep postseason run.
Lin was unable to hide his disappointment with the decision that was reached Saturday after a painful workout.
“It (stinks) not being able to be out there with the team,” Lin said. “And you know, it is what it is and so hopefully I can come back as soon as I can and help everybody.”
He was barely holding onto a place in the NBA back in February. Now, after the back-to-back Sports Illustrated covers and popularity around the world, he has to go back to the bench, when he wants to play most.
“If this was done very early in the year, obviously … I don’t know where my career would be. I could be, would be definitely without a job and probably fighting for a summer league spot,” Lin said. “But having said that, this happening now hurts just as much, because all the players, we really put our heart and souls into the team and into the season, and to not be there when it really matters most is hard.”
Lin is averaging 14.1 points and 6.1 assists, but the numbers only tell a small part of the story.
The Knicks were under .500 and looking like a mess when Lin was given a chance to play extended minutes at point guard for then-coach Mike D’Antoni on Feb. 4 against New Jersey.
Lin, the first American-born player of Taiwanese or Chinese descent to play in the NBA, scored 25 points with seven assists in that New York victory. He was inserted into the starting lineup two days later against Utah and took the Knicks on a seven-game winning streak.
SATURDAY’S GAMES
LAKERS 88, HORNETS 85: Kobe Bryant, who started the game with 18 straight misses, hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 20 seconds left as Los Angeles rallied at home.
It was just the third field goal of the game for Bryant, who finished with 11 points on 3 of 21 shooting as the Lakers ended a two-game skid at home. Pau Gasol had 21 points and 11 rebounds, Andrew Bynum added 19 points and 10 rebounds, and Ramon Sessions had 10 points and 10 assists.
KNICKS 91, CAVALIERS 75: J.R. Smith scored 20 points and Carmelo Anthony had 19 as New York won at home.
Tyson Chandler had 14 points and 12 rebounds for the eighth-place Knicks, who bounced back from a Friday night loss at Atlanta to win for the ninth time in 11 games. They have won seven straight at home.
76ERS 95, HAWKS 90: Elton Brand scored 13 of his season-high 25 points in the fourth quarter to lead Philadelphia to a comeback victory at home.
Andre Iguodala scored 18, and Brand had 10 rebounds to go with his 10-of-12 shooting.
PISTONS 110, BOBCATS 107: Will Bynum’s 3-pointer with 15.7 seconds left in regulation sent the game into overtime, and Detroit went on to win at Auburn Hills, Mich.
The Bobcats led 93-85 with under two minutes remaining before Brandon Knight of Detroit made a pair of 3-pointers and Bynum sank his tying shot from the left wing. Gerald Henderson had a great chance to win it for Charlotte, but his driving bank shot missed in the final seconds.
SPURS 112, PACERS 103: Tim Duncan had 23 points and 11 rebounds, and San Antonio won at home to remain the hottest team in the NBA with its seventh consecutive victory.
Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili added 18 points apiece. The Spurs are 8-1 since making a rare plunge into midseason moves by adding forwards Stephen Jackson and Boris Diaw, giving what Duncan called the deepest San Antonio bench of his career.
GRIZZLIES 99, BUCKS 95: O.J. Mayo scored a season-high 24 points, and Rudy Gay had 17 points and 10 rebounds to lead Memphis at Milwaukee.
Marc Gasol added 13 points and 14 rebounds for Memphis.�
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