Friday night was just Carmelo Anthony’s night. The New York Knicks forward set a franchise and Madison Square Garden record by scoring 62 points in his team’s 125-96 win over the Charlotte Bobcats.
‘Melo went 23-of-35 from the field, including 6-of-11 from 3-point range, and he made all 10 of his free-throw attempts. He grabbed 13 rebounds and will probably be criticized by some for registering zero assists. But in his postgame interview with MSG, ‘Melo said he was in the zone and credited his teammates for putting him in the position to have his huge game.
You knew it was Carmelo’s night when he made a half-court shot before halftime to give him 37 points in the first half:
The 62 points broke Bernard King’s franchise record of 60 and Kobe Bryant’s MSG record of 61. He really was in the zone as he said, and ‘Melo also said that he knows King will be happy for him.
Here is Carmelo’s postgame interview with MSG:
And here was the reaction from his teammates when he got to 62:
And what does one’s shot chart look like when a player scores 62 points? Check this out:
Mike Woodson hardly had Carmelo play in the fourth quarter because the team was winning in such a blowout. Anthony probably could have put up close to 80 had he remained in the game. You know LeBron James is disappointed Woodson didn’t let ‘Melo stay in the game. Check out what King James tweeted:
I'm at a team even and heard @carmeloanthony is doing what!!? 50 in the 3rd. What!!
— LeBron James (@KingJames) January 25, 2014
C'mon Mike Woodson keep @carmeloanthony in. I wanna see 70-75! Well actually I can't see cause I'm at an event but I'll see the highlights!
— LeBron James (@KingJames) January 25, 2014
LeBron also posted this image of his draft class mate on Instagram:
Congrats to my brother @carmeloanthony on setting a franchise record tonight! #RocketLauncherFromBirth
