Blazers All-Star Damian Lillard had high praise for Carmelo Anthony's breakout performance in Monday night's 117-94 win over the Chicago Bulls.
Anthony had been out of the NBA for roughly one year. However, the Blazers decided to sign the former Syracuse standout earlier this month. Portland needed some help at the power forward position, and Melo fit the bill.
In what was his fourth game of this season, Anthony led the Blazers to victory. The 10-time All-Star logged 31 minutes, scoring 25 points on 10-of-20 shooting from the field (4-of-7 from beyond the arc), eight rebounds, two assists and one steal. 12 of his points came in the first quarter alone.
For a bit of perspective, Anthony averaged 13 points in his first three appearances with the team.
Lillard, who added 13 points and 12 assists in Monday night's game, was happy for his new teammate:
Article Continues Below“Just happy to see it, I think he need people to be happy for him,” Lillard said of Anthony's big game, via NBA.com. “He don't need to be a part of a team where they want to make it about them and all that. I think here, we see the value that he brings to our team and we welcome it and we support it. He needs to be somewhere where we're going to allow him to have a night, you know what I'm saying? That's what makes a team special, when you allow guys to have a night. He made shots early and we allowed him to have his night.
“So It's really important for him, especially where he is in his career and him coming in, that when he has those type of moments, we support him and are excited for him and show excitement in him having his moments and allow him to have his moments, because he deserves that.”
Though he was out of the league for a while, Anthony says he's feeling good — both mentally and physically:
“It's a humbling situation for me, but it's a testament to the work I've been putting in,” Anthony said, via ESPN. “My body feels good, mentally I feel good.”
💪 @carmeloanthony pours in a season-high 25 PTS in the @trailblazers win! #RipCity pic.twitter.com/boxaZ2DJWF
— NBA (@NBA) November 26, 2019
Congrats to @carmeloanthony of the @trailblazers for moving up to 18th on the all-time scoring list! #RipCity pic.twitter.com/Vv1NC4YF7l
— NBA (@NBA) November 26, 2019
Anthony and the Blazers snapped a four-game losing streak with Monday's win. They'll look to keep their momentum rolling on Wednesday night, when they'll serve as hosts to the Oklahoma City Thunder.