Carmelo Anthony gets standing ovation from Knicks fans on MSG return with Trail Blazers

The Madison Square Garden (MSG) crowd showered Carmelo Anthony with love during his the Portland Trail Blazers vs New York Knicks game on Wednesday night (Thursday morning IST). The Knicks crowd was mostly silent during the initial part of the game but rose to a standing ovation when Carmelo Anthony's name was called out. This is the first time Anthony has returned to MSG after being traded by the Houston Rockets a year ago. New York Knicks won the game 117-93. Anthony scored a season-high 26 points and 7 rebounds. Carmelo Anthony was with the Knicks for seven seasons (NBA 2009-10 to 2016-17). 

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NBA 2019-20: Carmelo Anthony was showered with love after returning to MSG 

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The crowd cheered for Anthony when he touched the ball. The cheers got louder after he made his first shot. Anthony was applauded during the team's pre-game warm-ups. The Knicks crowd had cheered Carmelo Anthony when returned to MSG for the first time since doing so with Oklahoma City Thunder in 2017. However, the crowd booed at Kristaps Porzingis when he returned with the Dallas Mavericks in November 2019.

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Last season, Anthony played only 10 games with the Houston Rockets before he was traded to Chicago Bulls, who then waived him by February 1. The Trail Blazers signed Anthony in a non-guaranteed contract this season. Following his debut, Anthony was also named the Western Conferences' Player of the Week. Currently, Anthony is averaging 15.7 points and 6.2 rebounds. 

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