Subscribe
Follow Us
Carmelo Anthony showed a little more of his potential to help the Portland Trail Blazers, scoring 18 points in 29 minutes in Thursday's 137-129 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. CJ McCollum, who led the way with 37 points on the night, argued Melo is still getting his legs under him in his second game after a year-long absence.
“He's getting his sea legs after having that year off,” CJ McCollum said about Anthony, according to The Associated Press. “Getting used to that movement, getting used to how the game is flowing.”
The Blazers put all their effort in slowing down Giannis Antetokounmpo, and while they forced him to a 9-of-27 shooting night, they were outrebounded by 17, while getting doubled up in the offensive boards. Fouls were also an issue as Milwaukee punished Portland by converting 21 of their 26 foul shots.
“I thought we competed,” McCollum said. “I thought we played hard. Obviously, we came up short. But I thought it was a step in the right direction.”
Anthony shot 6-of-15 (40%) from the field, but added seven rebounds and four assists to his 18-point performance, canning 3-of-5 from beyond the arc and 3-of-4 from the foul line.
It might take a few more games for his efficiency to come around, but he clearly still has the stroke and the scoring instinct to give the Blazers that much-needed scoring punch. Portland was without two of their starters in point guard Damian Lillard and center Hassan Whiteside, so better assessments could be made once they return to the lineup next to a healthy Anthony.
