NBA: Lin exits with ankle sprain in Nets loss to Mavs

Brooklyn Nets guard Jeremy Lin (7) winces on the floor in the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Dallas Mavericks, Sunday, March 19, 2017, in New York. AP

NEW YORK, United States — Brooklyn guard Jeremy Lin, the NBA’s first American player of Chinese or Taiwan heritage, lasted only seven minutes in Sunday’s 111-104 loss to Dallas before leaving with a sprained right ankle.

The 28-year-old Californian, who sparked “Linsanity” during a rags to riches run with the New York Knicks in 2012, limped to the bench during the first quarter, rode a stationary bicycle behind the bench for a few minutes and was ruled out for the remainder of the game midway into the second quarter by the hosts.

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Lin, who had four points before exiting Sunday, is averaging 13.7 points and 4.8 assists on 45 percent shooting over 25 games this season for the Nets, who own the NBA’s worst record at 13-56.

In the first season of a three-year deal with the Nets, Lin has been nagged by injuries.

He missed 17 games with a strained left hamstring in November and December, another in December with a tight lower back and 26 games from late December to mid-February after reinjuring his hamstring.

In 2012, Lin was on the verge of being released by the Knicks before injuries hit the New York lineup and he was given a chance to play. The team had been on a 2-11 run but Lin in 12 starts averaged 22.5 points and 8.7 assists and the Knicks went 9-3.

He left the Knicks after that season, playing for Houston, the Los Angeles Lakers and Charlotte before joining Brooklyn for the current campaign.

German star Dirk Nowitzki led Dallas with 23 points Sunday while Brook Lopez scored a game-high 27 for the Nets. CBB