Carmelo Anthony has not been scoring as much in his first season with the Oklahoma City Thunder as he was during his previous stints with the New York Knicks and the Denver Nuggets. At times this season, though, Anthony comes around and reminds NBA fans just how deadly he is on offense.
Anthony did just that Tuesday night against the Houston Rockets when the former Syracuse Orange overtook Jerry West on the NBA’s all-time scoring list. Anthony began the day 21st on the list with 25,187 career points – just five points short of tying Jerry West’s mark – but he wasted little time in displacing The Logo in the 20th spot when he swished in a catch-and-shoot three-pointer in the first quarter.
.@carmeloanthony joins the top 20 all-time NBA scorers. He just passed Jerry West. #StayMe7O pic.twitter.com/XXYDb8YXbR
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) March 7, 2018
Carmelo Anthony had a chance to surpass West earlier than tonight, but he sat out last Saturday’s road loss to the Portland Trail Blazers because of rest purposes. In his return, Anthony scored 23 points on 8-for-18 shooting from the field with four three-pointers, four rebounds, and a steal in 33 minutes of action. His historic night, however, did not end up with a victory, as the Thunder absorbed a 122-112 loss to the Rockets.
With 25,217 career points, Anthony needs only 62 more to tie former Indiana Pacers scoring machine Reggie Miller (25,279) for 19th on the all-time points list. The Thunder have their next three games scheduled at home, so Anthony could tie or surpass Miller in front of OKC's home crowd.
Anthony is averaging 16.9 points per game this season, his lowest since turning pro in 2003. That said, he remains a key element for the Thunder, who dropped to 37-29 following the loss to Houston.
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