A TEAM EFFORT: Tyson Chandler was one of five players in double figures as the Knicks picked up a road victory in Minnesota last night. (AP)
MINNEAPOLIS — The kid can’t lose.
The “Linderella’’ story grew again as Jeremy Lin sank a game-winning free throw with 4.9 seconds left that capped a wild Knicks comeback and an improbable 100-98 stunner over the Timberwolves at Target Center.
The win extended the Knicks’ “Linning streak’’ to a season-high five games and capped a Saturday-to-Saturday stretch that’s one of the greatest in Knicks history.
With the score tied at 98, an exhausted Lin tore down the lane one last time, got crunched by two Timberwolves, picking up the foul and won the game from the free-throw line. He also had the key pass on the game’s biggest basket — a game-tying 3-pointer from Steve Novak with 36.2 seconds left.
“It was an ugly one. It was a gutsy one,” Lin said. “It was a road win, everyone was tired. That’s the beauty of this team. We never gave up.’’
Asked what he thinks about people calling the Knicks’ surge “Linsanity,’, Lin said “I’m thankful to everybody, but I don’t know. I guess we need to change it to something more team-related.’
Lin ran out of jet fuel in the second half, but his 20 points and eight assists became historic. Lin became the first player in NBA history to score at least 20 points and have at least seven assists in each of his first four starts. He also is the first Knick since the 1976 merger to score at least 20 points in his first four starts. (Records before the merger aren’t concise).
Lin shot just 8-for-24 (1-for-12 in the second half), committed six turnovers and heard an “Overrated’’ chant from the crowd. Afterward, he was limping noticeably in the locker room but said it was just his legs being numb from ice.
“I struggled a lot tonight,’’ Lin said. “But everyone gave us a lift and picked us up.’’
Lin missed the first free throw but made the second to put the Knicks up one, and it stayed as the winning point after Rubio coughed up the ball on an inbounds pass as it skidded out of bounds after Landry Fields knocked it away.
“Once I missed the first one I was fine,’’ Lin said. “I just had to get it out of the way. The first one is always the tough one.’’
The largest crowd since 2004 — 20,232 — packed the Target Center to watch the league’s two point-guard phenomenons — Lin face Rookie-of-the-Year candidate Ricky Rubio (12 points, eight assists)..
It went down to the wire with Lin coming out on top despite looking like a man who had just run a marathon. The Knicks (13-15) held Minnesota to 11 fourth-quarter points. They will get back Amar’e Stoudemire for Tuesday, but Carmelo Anthony (groin strain) is a long shot to return for the game against the Raptors in Toronto.
“We’re rolling. The chemistry is incredible,’’ coach Mike D’Antoni said. “We willed this one.’’
In the end, Lin outplayed the rookie Rubio, who committed his lone two turnovers in the final 30 seconds.
Novak’s game-tying bucket capped his big week. Novak, becoming a force since Lin’s insertion in the lineup, hit a big 3-pointer to tie the score at 98 after being sprung on a pick by Tyson Chandler. Novak finished with 15 points, making four of six 3-pointers.
“I told Novak, ‘I’m going to get you open,’ ” Chandler said. “ ‘You’ll get the wide-open look,’ ” and we got him open and he knocked down the shot.’’
“What a win. I can’t say enough about how I love playing for this team,’’ Lin said. “They’re so unselfish.’’
After a spectacular 15-point first half, the craziness of the week caught up with Lin as he went 0-for-5 in the third quarter.
“They did a good job in playing me in the gray areas,’’ Lin said. “We’ve all played seven games in 10 nights. If the other guys are fresh, I need to know what they’re eating.’’
Playing the second night of a back-to-back after his 38-point heroic game against the Lakers, Lin was panting in the second half. But Landry Fields (19 points) and Iman Shumpert (20 points) picked up the scoring slack.
Lin had 15 points on 7-of-12 shooting in the first half but didn’t get much help. The half ended badly when Lin got to the rim but muffed the layup. Rubio raced the other way for a layup, and the Knicks trailed by eight points 62-54 at intermission and 10 in the third quarter before “Linning’’ again.
marc.berman@nypost.com