MIAMI (AP) ― Carmelo Anthony released his final shot of the night then skipped backward, already knowing the outcome.
The shot was good.
For Anthony and the New York Knicks, the outcome was even better.
Relying entirely on jumpers, Anthony tied his career high with 50 points and the Knicks won their ninth straight game, topping the injury-depleted Miami Heat 102-90 on Wednesday night.
“I felt good tonight,” Anthony said.
There was no arguing that.
Anthony finished 18 of 26 from the field, taking two dribbles to free himself from Shane Battier and make his last shot with 16.9 seconds remaining to get to 50 and send the Knicks’ bench into hysterics. It was the third time he scored 50 in his career, and it came with Miami’s LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Mario Chalmers all sidelined by injuries.
“I think just from the start of the game, it’s a feeling that you just have while you’re out there on the court,” Anthony said. “Sometimes you get off to a good start and then you get cold the rest of the game, but tonight wasn’t one of those cases.”
No, it was not.
He made his first seven shots, and the fact that he had 37 points before notching any other statistic of note ― no rebounds, assists, steals or blocked shots until the third quarter ― let everyone in the building know that he was all about a scoring spree.
Washington 90, Chicago 86
LA Lakers 101, Dallas 81
koreaherald@heraldcorp.com
