Houston Rockets vs. New York Knicks 12/17/12: Video Highlights and Recap

I guess Jeremy Lin likes the bright lights of Madison Square Garden.

In his first game back in New York since Linsanity took over the world, Lin scored 22 points and dished out eight assists as the Houston Rockets steamrolled the New York Knicks on Monday night, 109-96.

The Knicks, who were playing without Carmelo Anthony for the second game in a row, suffered their first loss of the season at home and dropped to 18-6.

Houston, meanwhile, recorded just its third road win en route to getting back to .500 at 12-12.

For a complete look at the full box score, check out NBA.com.

Player of the Game: Jeremy Lin

On most nights, James Harden would probably get this award. The dynamic shooting guard went 9-of-18 shooting on his way to a team-high 28 points to go along with 10 rebounds, three assists, two steals and just one turnover.

However, it's impossible not to give the honor to Lin on this special night. 

His highly anticipated return to MSG was one of the most talked about stories of the last couple of days, but I don't think anyone saw this coming.

In addition to his 22 (on an efficient 9-of-15 shooting) and eight, Lin pulled down three rebounds, recorded two steals and put up a team-high ratio of plus-18.

The drop from Lin to Raymond Felton hasn't been as bad for the Knicks as most people thought it would be, but it's safe to say New York fans hated to see what happened on Monday night. 

Up Next for Houston

The Rockets get a day off before hosting the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday.

Up Next for New York

The Knicks and Carmelo Anthony also get 24 hours of rest before starting Chapter 3 of their popular rivalry with the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday. 

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