There was understandably plenty of hype surrounding the return of Portland Trail Blazers forward Carmelo Anthony to Madison Square Garden to take on his former team in the New York Knicks. Fortunately, he made sure that his homecoming fit the billing with a stellar individual performance.

Although the Knicks came out with a convincing 117-93 win over the Blazers, Anthony still went off for 26 points on an efficient 11-of-17 shooting from the field.

Knicks fans were given a healthy dose of nostalgia watching Anthony have his way on offense while playing in a familiar setting. He made sure to oblige by providing some vintage moves on the baseline while going 3-of-5 from the 3-point line along with seven expletive-laced rebounds for the Blazers.

Unfortunately, Anthony's performance was spoiled by the Blazers' fifth consecutive loss. While he would have liked to secure the win in his return to the old stomping grounds, the veteran continues to show that he still has plenty left in the tank at this point in his career.

Despite being one of the most notable players in franchise history, Carmelo Anthony's departure from the Knicks was rather unceremonious. It was then followed by brief stints with the Oklahoma City Thunder and Houston Rockets before he was left on the market waiting for another opportunity.

It is safe to say that he has managed to take full advantage of his opportunity with the Blazers by providing a much-needed spark with 15.7 points and 6.2 rebounds per game thus far in the 2019-20 NBA season.