Carmelo on OT game-winner: 'I wanted that moment'
Crunch time is usually Carmelo Anthony time at Madison Square Garden, and while his bank shot to seal the deal at the end of the fourth quarter Friday night against the Charlotte Hornets fell short, there was no way he was going to be denied twice.
With the clock winding down in the overtime period and the score locked at 111 apiece, the nine-time All-Star cleared out space, turned on Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, and drilled a 12-foot jumper in his eye with three seconds remaining to put the New York Knicks up for good.
Related - Watch: Melo drills game-winner in OT vs. Hornets
"I wanted that shot," Anthony said following New York's sixth straight win at home, according to the New York Post's Marc Berman. “I wanted that moment. I felt like I had ample times to close it in regulation.’’
His potential game-winner in the fourth got as close to going in without actually going in as it could get. In retrospect, though, perhaps it would have been wise for Anthony to dish the ball to an open teammate. Both Courtney Lee and Kristaps Porzingis were unmarked on the possession and had clear looks at the basket.
Let's pretend it was the best option pic.twitter.com/vx8A6MQjOc
— Dawkins (@DawkinsMTA) November 26, 2016
"It was in it but it came out," Anthony mentioned. "The second one felt good.
"I told Derrick (Rose) to hold it up top so they wouldn't have an opportunity to double-team. I got into my move. The second one felt good. I felt like I could get that same look again."
Hero ball from the 32-year-old doesn't always translate with the MSG faithful, especially when Anthony's jumpers - which are contested more often than not - aren't dropping. Taking on the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday, Anthony was booed by his hometown fans after he clanked a shot off the front of the rim during a stretch when Porzingis clearly had the hot hand.
Anthony finished Friday's win over Charlotte with a game-high 35 points on 14-of-25 shooting, along with 14 rebounds, five assists, two steals, and a rejection in 41 minutes of action. He currently ranks 17th in the Association in scoring with 23.3 points per game.