Carmelo Anthony is playing tonight, on November 23rd, for the Lakers against his former team, the New York Knicks. We know him as a Knicks legend as he was a scoring machine in his time with the Knicks. Even the most elite defenders struggled when trying to stop him from scoring in his prime.

In January 2014, Melo had a legendary game against the Charlotte Bobcats (now, Hornets) where he scored 62 points without a single rebound or assist. This performance hit the record for the highest points scored in the Madison Square Garden.

So where does this place him amongst the Knicks’ greats? Well, he is currently 7th on the all-time list of scoring for the Knicks. And NBA legend Patrick Ewing who has more than double Anthony’s points, leads that list.

What does this mean for the Lakers?

In the entire season so far, Madison Square Garden has only sold out thrice. And the fourth could’ve been tonight against the Lakers for the fans to see LeBron play at the MSG.

Unfortunately, that could not happen as Bron saw a one-game suspension. However, Carmelo Anthony‘s presense somewhere made up for the loss as he showed up against his former team, where he had spent six successful years leading this franchise from 2011 to 2017. He averaged close to 25 points during this tenure which helped his stand 7th as their all-time highest scorer.

Tonight when he checked into the game, he received a standing ovation from the entire MSG.

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Lakers vs Knicks: Will Carmelo Anthony step up in LeBron’s absence?

After the confirmation that the NBA suspended LeBron James for one game, NBA fans could not believe the unfortunate timing of this. Since of all games, he’s missing the Lakers game at Madison Square Garden (MSG), the home of the Knicks, one of Lakers’ fiercest rivals from the East. From the Knicks winning their first NBA title against the Lakers to Kobe’s iconic 61 point performance against the Knicks, the two teams have seen a lot.

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The Lakers started Tuesday’s game a little rusty in LeBron’s absence. They found themselves down by 13 only five minutes into the game. In fact, the Lakers Nation ended the first quarter down by 16 points. Nearing the end of the first half they were still down 13 points.

In the end, even 31 points from Russell Westbrook and 12 points from Carmelo Anthony could not save the LA-based franchise.

Also Read: Anthony Davis Defends LeBron James After Brawl vs Pistons: ‘Everyone in the League Knows LeBron Is Not a Dirty Guy’