Jeremy Lin strained his left hamstring last Wednesday at Detroit, and the basketball star needs to recuperate for the next two weeks. During Friday's game, the Brooklyn Nets experienced their first game without Lin and suffered tremendously. The team lost to Charlotte Hornets 99 to 95. It is a home game.
Net's center, Brook Lopez, had a hard time last Friday. He was harassed all night. This is in addition to the numerous double-teams that happened every now and then. There is nobody in the court to keep things in control, a full-time point guard. Aside from Lin, the other ball handlers were also suffering from injuries, including Greivis Vasquez, with his sprained right ankle, and Randy Foye, with a damaged right hamstring. This left the team with Sean Kilpatrick and rookie Isaiah Whitehead, who both failed to improve the situation, according to The New York Post.
Nets coach Kenny Atkinson said: "Their defense [was] excellent. There's a reason they're a top defensive team. They take away some stuff you want to do, and you have to go down the line with your options. "They knocked us off of our pace, knocked us off of our rhythm."
Atkinson added, "[Charlotte] probably had a talk at halftime and said we can't let this guy get so many touches and so many shots in the post. They started fronting him in the post, and quite honestly, we're going to have to work on doing a better job of getting him some counters to that."
Lopez also mentioned that things are different without Lin on the court and that they have to make several adjustments. Whitehead, on the other hand, admitted that it is his job to keep Lopez open and call the shots, but was not able to find the means to get him the ball.
Lin is just starting out his $36 million, three-year contract with the Nets over the summer free agency and missed the game against his former team. He was upset with the result of the game due to his injuries, but then, he immediately thought about the girl, Ava Lee, whom he wore the pink shoes for that day, Fansided reported.
Lee is a young cancer patient suffering from leukemia, but Lin said that he is blessed because he can still go back on the court.
The Brooklyn Nets will face the New York Knicks on Wednesday night.
