It wasn’t one Houston will brag about, but after 48 minutes Jeremy Lin ’10 and the Rockets came out on top for the fifth straight game, defeating the Minnesota Timberwolves, 87-84.

After playing less than 24 hours before, fatigue might have been a factor for Lin who scored just eight points on three-of-nine shooting, a 42 percent drop in field goal percentage from Tuesday’s performance. Reminiscent of his play after the initial rush of Linsanity last season, Lin also turned the ball over seven times, comprising 44 percent of his squad’s total mistakes. The Harvard alum managed to tally only one dime, which came on a pass to teammate James Harden for a three with 1:21 left in the first half.

With Lin unable to find a flow, Houston turned to Harden to carry the team’s load. Harden scored 17 out of his 30 points in the final quarter, enabling the Rockets to sneak past their opponents.

Lin may have put it best when, following the night’s contest, he tweeted: “Definitely an ugly one and lots to learn from but glad we got the W and 5 in a row!!! ‪#RedNation”

Houston’s schedule only gets tougher in the rest of 2012 as it plays the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City, last season’s number one and two teams in the Western Conference, respectively, on back-to-back nights this weekend. To be able to take down those two elite teams, the Rockets may need more production from their point guard. Otherwise, Lin’s New Years resolution might be to re-garner some of the magic that he exhibited during Linsanity last season.