Jeremy Lin Injury: Updates on Rockets PG's Head
January 5, 2013
Houston Rockets point guard Jeremy Lin left many fans fearing for the worst in Friday night's 115-101 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks when he suffered a head injury in the third quarter after colliding with forward Larry Sanders.
Update: Friday, Jan. 4 at 10:33 PM EST
Lin has returned to the game following the head injury.
.@jlin7 has returned to the game for the start of the 4th. Tough as nails.
— Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets) January 5, 2013
---End of Update---
Jeremy Lin injured his head against the Milwaukee Bucks as he collided with Larry Sanders. The Houston Rockets point guard left the floor with visible blood coming from this head.
Rockets.com reporter Jason Friedman tweeted about the incident:
Ugly head-on collision between @jlin7 and Larry Sanders. Jeremy headed to locker room for stitches. Sanders stays in game, but looked dazed.
— Jason Friedman (@JasonCFriedman) January 4, 2013
The Rockets' official Twitter account tweeted a picture of Lin's injury:
Ouch. RT @clutchfans: That's a lot of blood on Jeremy Lin's head after his 3rd quarter collision with Larry Sanders. twitter.com/clutchfans/sta…
— Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets) January 5, 2013
It remains to be seen whether Lin's injury is more than the laceration.
The Rockets can't afford to be without Lin for a long period of time. Behind Lin at point guard, they have Toney Douglas and Scott Machado. Douglas has seen the majority of backup minutes, but he doesn't have the playmaking ability that Lin possess.
Where Lin is able to make something out of nothing, Douglas doesn't have the same type of vision. There is also a slight drop-off in field-goal percentage, as Lin shoots 43.2 percent from the floor while Douglas shoots 39.2 percent. Douglas does add more in terms of three-point-shooting ability, however.
Any absence would put pressure on James Harden and the rest of the Rockets as they look to fill the void of Lin's offensive firepower. Lin's 12 points per game would need to be spread around the backcourt between Harden and Douglas.