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Jonah Ballow
KnicksNow.com
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KNICKS 100 WOLVES 98| TARGET CENTER

How it happened:
Throughout the second half, the Knicks kept clawing at the Wolves' lead but could not capture the advantage. However, down three points with less than 30 second remaining, Steve Novak drilled a long bomb to tie the game. On the opposite end, Rubio lost control of the ball and Jeremy Lin forced the action inside the paint to receive a crucial foul. At the free throw line, Lin made 1-of-2 shots to hand New York a 99-98 lead with just 4.9 seconds left on the game clock.

Rubio dribbled the ball off his foot, committing his second turnover of the game and Minnesota had to send Bill Walker to the line. Once again, Walker connected on 1-of-2 but an errant Kevin Love three-point attempt did not draw iron at the buzzer.

The Knicks captured their fifth consecutive victory in a 100-98 dramatic win led by Lin’s 20 points and end-of-game heroics. New York finished 47.6 percent from the floor, 36.8 percent behind the arc, and outscored the Wolves 52-50 in the paint.

New York improved to 13-15 on the season and are now riding their longest win streak of the year, despite missing Amar’e Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony in the lineup.

Kevin Love tallied 32 points and 21 boards for Minnesota as they dropped to 13-15 this season.

Top Knick:
All eyes focused on the intriguing point guard matchup between Spanish Sensation Rubio and the Harvard-turned-New York star Lin. The New York signal caller won the battle in the box score and in the win column. Iman Shumpert was solid as well for the Knicks, posting 20 points on 9-for-16 shooting from the floor.

Looking Ahead:
After completing the back-to-back set, the Knicks escaped the frigid Minnesota air on flight back to New York. The team will have the day off before returning to practice on Monday afternoon at Madison Square Garden Training Center.

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