Knicks Legend Carmelo Anthony's Record Survives USA Comeback

New York Knicks legend Carmelo Anthony nearly had his place in the Team USA record book taken from him.

Jeremy Brener | Aug 9, 2024

Aug 5, 2024; Paris, FRANCE; Carmelo Anthony poses for a photograph during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Team USA House. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports / John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

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New York Knicks

New York Knicks legend Carmelo Anthony is waking up on Friday still holding the record for the most points scored in an Olympics game with Team USA.

Anthony scored 37 points for Team USA in a win against Nigeria. Nobody has scored more than that in 12 years, and that record is still intact after Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry nearly got to that mark with 36 points in Team USA's comeback win against Serbia in Thursday's semifinal.

"In the greatest single-game scoring performance in Team USA men's basketball history, Carmelo Anthony dropped 37 points on 13-of-16 shooting in the group phase against Nigeria in 2012," Bleacher Report contributor Andy Bailey writes. "But as impressive as that total is, it was the way Melo got to that number that puts this performance in the top five, despite the low stakes of the game (which wound up being an 83-point win for the Americans). We've heard of players getting hot, but Anthony was a genuine basketball flamethrower that night. He did the bulk of his damage as a jump-shooter, seemingly couldn't miss and finished with 37 points and 10 threes in fewer than 15 minutes of action."

Curry scored 36 points on 12 of 19 shooting from the field including nine 3-pointers, but he still wasn't able to top Melo's historic performance. However, Curry may have a more memorable performance given the stakes of the game. Team USA was trailing by 13 points going into the fourth quarter with their gold medal chances on the line, but Curry's heroics were part of the reason why the Americans will be competing in the championship on Saturday.

While Anthony's performance came in a low-stakes group stage match, he still holds a very important record in Team USA history.

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Published Aug 9, 2024

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.