Carmelo Anthony turned in a performance for the ages on Friday, pouring in 62 points to lead the Knicks to a 125-96 win over the Bobcats.
The initial reaction from casual observers would be to dismiss the team the scoring outburst came against, but Charlotte is seventh in the league in defensive efficiency, and came into this contest holding down the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference — which, by the way, had them sitting three games ahead of New York in the standings.
Anthony got things started with 20 points in the first quarter, before following it up with 17 in the second and 19 in the third, then finishing with just six in the fourth in less than five minutes of action with the game so out of hand. His final line was 62 points on 23-of-35 shooting, to go along with 13 rebounds and zero assists in just under 39 minutes of action.
The 62-point total was not only a franchise record, but it also set the record for modern day performances at Madison Square Garden since 1968. Kobe Bryant held the previous building record with the 61 he put up in 2009, which bested a 60-point performance from Bernard King back in 1984.
NBC Sports
