Knicks’ Anthony looks like MVP against Hornets.
Knicks’ Anthony looks like MVP against Hornets.
NEW ORLEANS— Carmelo Anthony knew he might have been in for a historic night. Instead, the New York Knicks’ scoring machine had to settle for just a fantastic one.
In just 28 minutes, Anthony scored 19 of his game-high 29 points in the first quarter, outscoring the entire New Orleans Hornets squad over a 29-17 stretch, to lead the Knicks to a 102-80 victory and improve their NBA-best record to 8-1.
The game was so lopsided—the Knicks kept the Hornets to 32 second-half points to break up a five-point margin at halftime—that Knicks Coach Mike Woodson got to rest his star forward.
“Who knows, it could’ve been a great night,” Anthony remarked after making eight of his first nine shots and sinking two three-pointers in the first quarter. “That’s difficult to say because we were beating them by a wide margin. I am confident it will be great like that again.”
But Anthony knew this night would be exceptional. When asked when he last outscored an opponent by himself in a quarter, Anthony laughed and replied, “It was just one of those nights.”
“Hey, Melo’s an All-Star,” Woodson stated. “He’s one of the best players in the league, and he’s proven that this season. We have to keep pushing him to pay at that level, and I have to help him achieve it.”
