Knicks Legend Carmelo Anthony’s Record Survives USA Comeback

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.

Make sure you bookmark New York Knicks on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!