Carmelo Posts Double-Double in Revenge Win Over Houston Rockets

Carmelo Anthony had himself a game on Wednesday night in Portland’s 117–107 victory over the Houston Rockets. Anthony posted his third double-double of the season with 18 points and 12 rebounds, getting a little revenge in the process against his former team and teammates. Houston parted ways with Melo last season after just 10 games, saying in a statement that “the fit we envisioned when Carmelo chose to sign with the Rockets has not materialized.”

Against Houston on Wednesday, Melo was incredibly efficient, shooting 75 percent from inside the arc (6-for-8), 50 percent from three-point range (1-for-2), and a perfect 3-for-3 from the charity stripe in 34 minutes.

STAY MEL00 pic.twitter.com/p5VhtKLTMH

— Portland Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) January 16, 2020

All five Portland starters scored in double figures, led by Damian Lillard (25 points), CJ McCollum (24 points), and Hassan Whiteside, who matched Melo’s 18-point performance.

Over a year went by between his last game with Houston (Nov. 8, 2019) and his first game with Portland (Nov. 19, 2020), who signed the future Hall of Famer after starting 5–9 (.357). The Trail Blazers have played significantly better with Melo in the mix, posting a .464 winning percentage in 28 games. Carmelo Anthony has only missed one game since coming to Rip City, averaging 31.8 minutes, 16.3 points, and 6.1 rebounds per game in 27 starts. From beyond the arc, Melo has gone 42-for-106 (39.6 percent) with Portland, strikingly better than each of his last five seasons.

Russell Westbrook, Melo’s teammate during his lone season with Oklahoma City, had a triple-double for Houston in the loss.

Portland has now won back-to-back games, sitting 1.5 games back of the final Western Conference Playoff spot with an 18-24 record.