HORNETS guard Jeremy Lin is heating up and surging Charlotte is blazing a trail to its second playoff appearance in three seasons under coach Steve Clifford.

    Lin scored 15 of his 29 points in the fourth quarter Monday to lead the Hornets back from a 23-point deficit to beat San Antonio — the largest lead surrendered by the Spurs in the Tim Duncan era. Lin followed that with another strong performance Tuesday night, scoring 21 points in a win over Brooklyn.

    Michael Jordan’s Hornets (41-30) now find themselves in a three-way tie with Boston and Atlanta for the fourth-best record in the Eastern Conference, just a half-game behind third place Miami.

    Lin is a major reason why.

    Acquired in the offseason via free agency, Lin is averaging 11.8 points and 2.9 assists per game for the Hornets in a reserve role.

    He’s scoring in a variety of ways — long jumpers, drives to basket and on fast breaks. He’s also added nine rebounds and six assists, while providing a spark coming off the bench.

    “He’s been phenomenal,” Hornets point guard Kemba Walker said.

    Lin said the win over the Spurs was a confidence builder for him. “I think being comfortable and not thinking as much on the court and letting the ball fly and having fun,” Lin said of the difference in his game.

    Lin is no stranger to carrying a team.

    He did so back in 2012, when as an unheralded player out of Harvard he took Madison Square Garden by storm with a series of outstanding games for the New York Knicks. He became an international sensation, and wound up on Time magazine’s list of Top 100 most influential people of the year.

    The media attention isn’t what it was in New York, but three teams later Lin appears to have found a home in Charlotte where he says “I love playing with this group of guys.”(SD-Agencies)