The Knicks won their 11th straight game on Friday, but as hot as the team has ben during that stretch, Carmelo Anthony has managed to be even hotter.
Anthony poured in 41 points on 17-28 shooting in his most recent effort, to go along with 14 rebounds. In doing so, he tied a franchise record by scoring at least 40 points in three consecutive games, set by Bernard King back in 1984.
More impressive than just the points is the efficient manner in which Anthony is putting them up. He’s shooting better than 60 percent during the streak, becoming just the third player in the last 20 years to do so. And then there’s this, from ESPN Stats & Information (via TrueHoop):Anthony is shooting 64 percent from at least 15 feet over his last three games, after making less than 40 percent of those shots in his first 59 games.
He is making over 12 shots per game from that distance in that span. How hot is he? No player in the NBA averages more than six made field goals of 15-plus feet per game for the season.
It’s tough to stop someone who’s knocking down jumpers at this rate, and historically, you want guys getting midrange looks as opposed to getting to the rim for easy baskets, or shooting uncontested threes.
It’ll be interesting to see how much longer Anthony can keep this up, and even more interesting to see how teams scheme for him in the playoffs. For now, just enjoy the show.
