NBA scores 2017: Carmelo Anthony has his best game in spite of growing trade rumors

Melo’s time in New York may be coming to an end. Why’d he drop 45 points in his most inspired performance all season, then?

by Tim Cato

Jan 30, 2017, 1:00 PM UTC

NBA: Charlotte Hornets at New York Knicks

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Carmelo Anthony’s 45-point performance on Sunday is a Rorschach test. It came in a sensational four overtime game and ended prematurely when Anthony fouled out in the second overtime period, and even that couldn’t totally overshadow Anthony’s off-court drama. The trade rumors. The strange comments from his team. That there’s a decent chance Anthony won’t be wearing a Knicks jersey by the end of February.

With all that swirling around him, Anthony was clearly more motivated on Sunday than he has been in months — the question is why? Was this him showing New York why they’d be foolish to send him packing? Or a spiteful reminder how good he can be with his future in New York on the ropes? Or maybe Anthony does want out, and knows a few good games can make sure someone pulls the trigger on him.

Anthony didn’t really help us understand his mindset after the game.

“I’m just feeling good about myself, about my body, feeling healthy,” Anthony told reporters afterwards. “Being able to just focus on basketball and playing basketball and not worrying about everything else that’s going on out there. Once I’m on the court I don’t hear (trade reports).”

That’s a quality non-answer from Anthony, who has a no-trade clause and has expressed that he doesn’t want to leave New York. But fans have shouted “TRADE CARMELO” during the national anthem and booed him after missing free throws, and the Knicks themselves don’t seem keen on keeping Anthony around. If they find a deal and ask him to take it, then it’s thought that Anthony may accept.

For now, Anthony’s right that he can only play basketball. His 45 points on Sunday was a season high, easily topping his previous high of 35. He took 36 shot attempts, but he made half of them and knocked down two game-tying shots that forced the first and second overtime periods. Of course, the Knicks still lost, overtime theatrics aside. That makes it four of their last six, with a 5-11 record in January that has sunk them to 21-28 overall.

That version of Anthony would look good on another team — the Clippers are the popular answer that has sprung up in the past 24 hours. New York can’t give him up for nothing, even if it’s desperate to move into a post-Melo era. But a player still that talented — never mind his enormous contract — is a desirable asset still.

It seems clear that what Anthony really wants is for the Knicks to start winning and for him to retire in New York. But the reality just isn’t dictating that as a possibility.

Kyrie Irving put Russell Westbrook in a pot and cooked him right up

Westbrook recorded yet another triple-double on Sunday, but it was pretty clear Irving won the duel between the two point guards all the same. His 29 points and 10 assists came in a decisive 107-91 Cavaliers win. His three-pointer with about four minutes left in the game was a dagger.

On that possession, LeBron James shoveled it over to Irving when he recognized Steven Adams had been switched onto his costar. Irving stared down Adams for a moment and chose to shoot the three in his face. It seemed pretty clear that no matter what option Irving went with, it would work out.

Irving roasted Westbrook, too, who had 20 points on 7-of-26 shooting. Here’s the play.

Cleveland has been in a strange malaise, going just 8-8 since beating the Warriors on Christmas Day until this win. A one-game sample size doesn’t trump a 16-game pattern, but we’ve never been seriously worried about the Cavaliers, and perhaps this is a sign they’re improving. Mostly, Cleveland’s defense has been in disarray — and they held the Thunder to 37 percent shooting for the game.

Irving is averaging more than 30 points per game over the past six, so this doesn’t fall on him. His improvement is still the secret key to unlocking the Cavaliers, and when he plays like this, you can see the rest of the team click into place around him.

The Cavaliers aren’t out of the woods yet, but they looked like their old selves on Sunday.

Hawks vs. Knicks really was the game of the year

Here’s the seven most absurd things that happened during the 68 minutes of basketball. Of course it happened to Knicks fans, too. I thought the Geneva Convention prohibited torture, so I’m not sure why we’re still letting people root for the Knicks.

Seth Curry had a better day than his brother

It’s impossible to talk about Seth Curry without comparing him to Steph, which is totally unfair and probably very tiring for him but also just the reality of it all. On a night where the older Curry was out sick for the Warriors (who just barely outlasted Portland), Seth Curry lit up the Spurs for a surprising win.

Curry dropped a career-high 24 points with 10 rebounds and five assists, and the Mavericks are now 6-3 since they moved Curry into the starting lineup. The 26-year-old had a long journey before finally getting someone to buy in on him, but he’s capitalizing on the opportunity in Dallas.

This Curry isn’t that other Curry, and he’s not his dad, either. His jump shot is gorgeous, but it’s not quite as quick and he definitely can’t use it off the dribble like Steph can. Mavericks Twitter has enjoyed that Seth is outshooting Steph in January percentage-wise, but obviously the difficulty of the field goal attempts they’re both taking is drastically different. But Curry doesn’t need to be his brother to be a quality player. Seth Curry — who signed for just $6 million over two years this summer — has been an absolute steal in Dallas.

As for the Mavericks themselves, they’re still only 4.5 games out of the No. 8 seed. It’s only thanks to the ridiculously bad race for the eighth seed in the West, but don’t count them out quite yet.