Madison Square Garden will always hold a special place in Carmelo Anthony.
“For me, that love is different. That fan base is different to me, here in New York,” Anthony told Spectrum Sportsnet ahead of the Lakers vs. Knicks. “They hugged me and I hugged them.”
On Monday night, Anthony was the returnee for a visit to MSG with the Lakers as part of a five-game road trip at the team’s Eastern Conference.
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Coming off the bench, the 10-time All-Star received a standing ovation from the crowd present at Madison Square Garden.
This is Anthony’s fourth game at MSG against another third team since he was traded by the Knicks during the 2017 season and he is yet to score a win in his previous three games.
The 6-foot-7 future Hall of Famer played a major role in his career representing the Knicks – 412 in 6.5 seasons – averaging 24.7 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.2 construction.
Anthony provided plenty of memorable moments for the Knicks at the Garden, including his career-high 62 point blast against the Charlotte Bobcats (now the Hornets).
This season, the 37-year-old has been quite prominent on the bench for the Los Angeles Lakers, averaging 15.2 points across 18 games when shooting from 47.3% and 46.1% from outside the arc in in career- high 2.9 3 pointers per game.
In half of 18 games, he scored 15 or more points in nine games, playing a huge role in many of the team’s victories, especially at home.
