Carmelo calls out his haters ??? https://t.co/RjeaePUgjU
— Bleacher Report NBA (@BR_NBA) November 8, 2015
If you’re a Kobe Bryant truther who believes he’s going to rejoin old pals Phil Jackson and Derek Fisher on the Knicks next season or expatriate to Italy and become a reclusive, middle-aged European hoops star, then we don’t know what to tell you. A much more plausible scenario is that we might have just witnessed the Mamba’s last hurrah at Madison Square Garden, basketball’s spiritual epicenter, where he once held the record for most points scored in that hallowed arena (61) until Carmelo Anthony rather appropriately seized that distinction with a 62-point outburst in January of 2014.
But even if plenty of fans in NYC were feeling sentimental about the prospect of Kobe’s seemingly imminent retirement on Sunday afternoon, Anthony had his mind on other things, like winning. ‘Me7o scored 24 points to lead the Knicks to a 99-95 victory over the Lakers on Sunday afternoon, who were just coming off of their first win of the season against the crosstown Brooklyn Nets. He also had some choice words for a loquacious Lakers fan seated in the first few rows who’d been talking trash to Anthony all afternoon.
Kristaps Porzingis had yet another double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds, but his shooting woes continued as he was just 3-of-10 from the field, including 1-of-3 from downtown. But New York had three other players in double figures – Robin Lopez, Jose Calderon, and Langston Galloway – who added 14 points each.
If it was indeed Kobe’s last appearance at MSG, it was a forgettable one. He and Roy Hibbert were the high scorers for Los Angeles with 18 points apiece, but Kobe was 6-of-19 from the field and an ice-cold 2-of-10 from long distance. Kobe and the Lakers will try to get back on track as they travel to Miami to face the Heat on Tuesday as what may or may not be the five-time champion’s farewell tour continues.
