Carmelo Anthony broke the New York Knicks and Madison Square Garden single-game scoring records during Friday’s game against the Charlotte Bobcats. The Knicks won the game 125-96 and ended a five game losing streak.
Anthony scored a career-high 62 points in Friday’s game. That broke Bernard King’s Knicks record of 60 and the Madison Square Garden record of 61. It’s the highest scoring performance in the NBA this season, and the highest since Kobe Bryant had 65 in 2007. Anthony made 23 of 35 shots, including a shot from center court at the end of the second quarter, and also beat Kevin Durant’s season high of 54, according to the Associated Press.
''I made history tonight, with the performance, but just to be a part of that group of people, like I said, there's only a small group of people that knows what that zone feels like and tonight I was one of them,'' Anthony said.
Anthony’s record setting performance puts him in elite company. He’s the first player to have 60 points, 13 rebounds, and make 13 3-pointers in NBA history. He’s also the first player to score 62 points and have no turnovers since the 1977-78 season when the NBA started tracking turnovers made by individuals, according to ESPN.
The Knicks, who had lost five straight, entered Friday’s game with a 7-15 record at the Garden. There’s also questions about the head coaches job and Anthony‘s pending free agency. If Anthony keeps performing like he did on Friday, then the Knicks shouldn’t have to worry about him becoming a free agent.