Return Home No Help for Lin '10, Rockets

While the saying may be “home sweet home,” the return back to Houston was anything but sweet for Jeremy Lin’s Rockets. The squad picked up its eighth loss in nine games, falling to the Denver Nuggets, 105-95.

The combination of a low shooting percentage and turnovers continued to plague Houston, as it shot under 45 percent from the field and tallied 23 turnovers, 17 of which came from its starting unit. Those 23 mistakes proved especially costly for the Rockets, as Denver was able to convert them into easy buckets. The Nuggets totaled 28 points off turnovers on the night, 26.7 percent of their total offensive output.

“[Denver] got some run-outs when we weren't getting back on defense,” Houston coach Kevin McHale said. “It's been like that for a while. It just snowballs with us…We’re not able to pull ourselves out of those minor tailspins.”

In 24 minutes of playing time, Lin put up nine points on three-of-seven shooting, along with three assists and a single rebound. It was the second straight game that Lin played less than 25 minutes, a marked difference from his usual thirty-plus minutes on the floor.

Wednesday night’s game was notable for two other reasons though, both of which involved reaching major milestones—Nuggets guard and veteran Andre Iguodala reached 10,000 career points while his coach, George Karl, notched his 1,000th win as a head coach.

Lin’s team will have one night off before heading back on the road to face the struggling New Orleans Hornets on Friday. As the Portland Trail Blazers won their contest on Wednesday, the Rockets are back in a gridlock for the eighth and final playoff position in the Western Conference.