Houston Rockets' Jeremy Lin drives the ball against Denver Nuggets' Wilson Chandler in the second half on Wednesday in Houston. (Pat Sullivan, The Associated Press)

HOUSTON — They said it was like something out of a movie. Well, now it's a movie.

While Jeremy Lin and the Rockets hosted the Nuggets on Wednesday, the film "Linsanity" was featured at the Sundance Film Festival. It's a documentary that captures the unbelievable rise of an end-of-the-bench, undrafted, Ivy League Asian-American who suddenly becomes an international basketball sensation.

The only thing is, the linsanity has been reduced to sanity. Here in Houston, Jeremy Lin is just a pretty good point guard learning the nuances of a long NBA season. Entering Wednesday's game against Denver, Lin was averaging 12 points and six assists. He had a little-below-average 13.77 player efficiency rating.

Of course,

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say the name Lin and people instantly think of the three-week stretch last season when the unheralded New York Knicks guard caught a break and played video-game basketball, erupting for big scoring nights and game-winning shots.

 

But now, in his first full season as a starter, "Jeremy has played really well in stretches and he's struggled in stretches," Rockets coach Kevin McHale said Wednesday. "I think people think of Jeremy as a (veteran), but Jeremy has started 68 games. So he's going to go up and down, and that's not untypical. And I don't know why people are surprised. People are starting to play him differently; he has adjustments to make."

Of course, the acquisition of James Harden changed Lin's role with the Rockets.

It's understood that Lin would have been the primary focus of the Houston offense. But when Harden showed up with his fancy jumper, it was his show. Harden is an all-star type of player this season. But with Lin, as Nuggets coach George Karl pointed out, "I still think he's the motor of their team, and when he plays well, they have a good chance of beating people. ...

"With Mike D'Antoni's (Knicks) system, the point guard has a lot of freedom. And he had a great role, got into that

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karma of New York City, the spirit of the Garden and all that stuff. It was pretty special for about three weeks.

 

"I think he's kind of like a young player trying to find his destiny in his career."

Or he's already achieved his destiny.