Not long ago, a lot of NBA fans had written off Carmelo Anthony.
He was told to stay home by the Houston Rockets. He was traded to the Chicago Bulls. He was waived by the Bulls and missed just about the entire 2018-19 season.
But the Portland Trail Blazers took a chance, thinking Anthony would be a fit alongside the likes of Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum.
And guess what? It’s worked out pretty well for the Blazers and for Anthony — who scored 24 points off the bench in the Blazers’ thriller of a 118-114 home win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday. Seventeen of those points came in the crucial fourth quarter.
“He carried us in the fourth,” Portland coach Terry Stotts told reporters. “He really got on a roll. He was vintage Melo. Hitting threes. Hitting some off-balance shots. He was just in a real rhythm. And he provided points when we needed them.”
Granted, Anthony is averaging career-lows of 13.0 points and 3.5 rebounds at the ripe old basketball age of 36. But the minutes themselves are valuable, underrated even. And the Blazers (14-10) are starting to find their way again, looking like they can be a postseason darkhorse when the time comes.
“I caught a great rhythm in that fourth quarter,” Anthony said of Thursday’s eruption. “It gave our team a different spark. Some momentum. Some energy. And we won the game.”
More out of Portland
- McCullom is still in a walking boot after suffering a fractured left foot last month, but that didn’t keep him off the court Thursday before the game. Instead, he went on the floor to work on his ballhandling and even attempted a 3-pointer off one leg. McCollum was averaging a career-high 26.7 points in 13 games before the injury.
- The Blazers could use some help defensively and should consider a low-risk trade to find some, wrote Jake Smith of Rip City Project. Cleveland Cavaliers center JaVale McGee, Orlando Magic forward Aaron Gordon and Houston Rockets wing Danuel House are a few reportedly available players worth monitoring, per Smith.
