Lin's career triple-double helps Houston Rockets rout Cleveland Cavaliers

Houston, Feb 2 (IANS) Jeremy Lin had his first career triple-double while playing off bench for the Houston Rockets in an easy 106-92 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers in National Basketball Association (NBA) here at Toyota Center.

The Rockets built a big early lead in the first half, leading by as many as 19 points before the Cavaliers opened the second half with an 11-0 run to overtake the host team Saturday night, reports Xinhua.

Rockets coach Kevin McHale then dramatically changed the lineup. Jeremy Lin came in for Chandler Parsons, sharing the backcourt with Pat Beverley with James Harden moving to small forward.

The strategy worked. Rockets rolled again, with Lin chasing a triple double, Beverley putting his finger prints all over the game, and Harden and Howard scoring reliably throughout. They didn’t relent in crushing Cleveland’s resistance and hold on to the victory.

Lin played off bench with 15 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists, the first triple-double of his career and also the Rockets’ first this season. Howard finished with 26 points and Harden returned after two games out with a sprained thumb to score 28 points. Luol Deng had 24 points and Kyrie Irving added 21 with seven assists for.

With the win, Houston has improved to 32-17 on the season. Cleveland is 16-31.