Atlantic Notes: Green, Rozier, Lin, Jennings

Gerald Green had his best game of the season for the Celtics in Sunday’s win over the Knicks, writes A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE. Green hasn’t seen many opportunities since signing with Boston over the summer for his second tour of duty with the franchise. He has played in just 14 games and is averaging 9.9 minutes per night. But he had eight points Sunday, scoring five in the second quarter as the Celtics pulled away. “It’s tough at times,” Green said. “You just have to stay motivated. I give a lot of praise to the coaches and the players keeping me ready, keeping me engaged at all times.”

Green’s opportunity came at the expense of Terry Rozier, who was held out of a game for the first time this season. Coach Brad Stevens refused to say whether Rozier’s benching would last beyond one game, but the second-year guard has been struggling lately, shooting just 27% from the field in his last five contests.

There’s more news from the Atlantic Division:

• Nets point guard Jeremy Lin left tonight’s game in the third quarter with a strained left hamstring, according to The Associated Press. He recently returned after missing 17 games with a hamstring problem.
• Knicks guard Brandon Jennings apparently agrees with the criticism that the team relies too much on one-on-one offense, relays Marc Berman of The New York Post. Jennings liked a tweet suggesting that after New York managed just 11 assists Sunday. He refused to talk to reporters after registering just two assists following a 12-assist outing in his last game. Carmelo Anthony has defended the Knicks’ offensive philosophy, and Courtney Lee says Sunday’s game doesn’t prove there’s a problem. “There’s a couple of things it could be,’’ Lee said. “Guys not making shots. Could be matchup they like, guards going off pick-and-rolls and getting to a certain spot to knock down a shot. The ball will continue to move. We’ll get assists.”
• Defensive problems are keeping the Knicks from rising very far above .500, writes Al Iannazzone of Newsday. At 16-14, New York is the only team in the league with a winning record that allows more points per game (107.9) than it scores (105.6).