Lin inspires New York Knicks to last-gasp win

(CNN) -- "Linsanity" reached fever pitch late Tuesday after the NBA's man of the moment, Jeremy Lin, secured a dramatic last-gasp win for the New York Knicks.

With barely a second to play, Lin showed nerves of steel in hitting a three-pointer to take the spoils.

NBA.com: Watch the game winning shot

The Harvard-educated star has taken the world of basketball by storm in recent weeks, going from one-time bench-warmer to team savior. His personal haul of 27 points and 11 assists gave the Knicks their sixth-straight win as they beat the Toronto Raptors 90-87 in Canada. The visitors had trailed by 14 points at one point in the 4th quarter.

How the match played out

Jeremy Lin a marketer's dream

Lin taking NBA by storm

Oh the 'Linsanity'!

The point guard also surpassed Shaquille O'Neal's league record for the most points in his first five games as a starter, with 136 points, compared to O'Neal's 129.

He also got the better of Kobe Bryant -- arguably the NBA's top player -- last Friday, scoring 38 points in the Knicks' win over the Los Angeles Lakers.

Jeremy Lin: The NBA's breath of fresh air

But his last-second heroics in Toronto will live long in the memory of New York fans.

"I just wanted to make sure I got a good shot at the end of the clock," Lin said after the game, in quotes carried by Agence France-Presse.

"We had so many active hands. Everybody with deflections, rebounds and we clamped it down.

"I'm thankful that my coach and teammates trust me with the ball at the end of the game. I like having it at the end of the game."

Toronto's Jose Calderon finished with 25 points, nine assists, and seven rebounds, while Lin's teammate Amare Stoudemire claimed 21points and nine rebounds on his return to the team after a short absence for personal reasons.

The Lin-inspired Knicks are next up against the Sacramento Kings in New York later Wednesday.