Although Carmelo Anthony is a bit long in the tooth, the former New York Knicks star is still putting up numbers in Portland.
Remember when Carmelo Anthony was out of the NBA for over a year because people thought he was washed? Well, he’s silencing the doubters right now.
Anthony, 35, has lost a step, as every player does over the years, but he’s pulled out a few vintage Melo moments with the Portland Trail Blazers this season. In fact, if you squint your eyes, Melo kind of looks like his All-Star self from his days with the Denver Nuggets and New York Knicks.
32 points, 69% from the field, 4 rebounds. @carmeloanthony is STILL a walking bucket ? pic.twitter.com/GccwojF5dg
— Portland Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) February 24, 2020
Anthony tallied 32 points on downright remarkable shooting numbers against the Detroit Pistons on Sunday night. He finished 11-for-16 from the field, 5-for-9 from downtown, and 5-for-6 from the charity stripe. Melo’s 32 points were a season-high and they complemented 41 from C.J. McCollum en route to a crucial victory.
Without a doubt, this was Anthony’s best performance of the season and his team needed it. The Trail Blazers are desperately trying to stay afloat in the Western Conference playoff picture while Damian Lillard is out with a groin injury. Portland trails the eighth-place Memphis Grizzlies by three games (four in the loss column).
Anthony hasn’t ruled out coming back for another season and nights like Sunday show that he might be capable of lacing em up next year. The 10-time All-Star is averaging 15.6 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game on modest shooting numbers with Portland.
Melo isn’t the same guy who can go out and score 30 on a nightly basis, but he still has enough in the tank to have big nights like this every once in a while.