Melo Moves Up NBA Scoring List

Former Syracuse superstar Carmelo Anthony has joined elite company in the NBA. One of the best scorers the game has ever seen, Anthony passed Paul Pierce to take over 15th place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list on Sunday. He is less than 200 points away from passing Tim Duncan for 14th place and only 1,000 points away from moving into the top 10. 

Anthony accomplished the feat with a 20 point, seven rebound, two steal, one block performance on 6-13 shooting and 2-4 from beyond the arc in Portland’s 124-121 win over the Philadelphia 76ers Sunday night. The win pulled the Trail Blazers to within one half game of the Memphis Grizzlies for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. 

The win was of the comeback variety for Portland, who raced out to a 14 point lead at the end of the first quarter before the Sixers rallied to take a lead entering the fourth. Philadelphia even held a six point advantage with 4:23 left to play before an Anthony three pointer sparked a 12-0 Trail Blazers’ run that proved to be the difference. Portland was led by point guard Damian Lillard’s 51 points. 

Melo is one of the most popular and well known players in Syracuse basketball history. He helped lead the Orange to the 2003 National Championship as a true freshman and departed for the professional ranks after just one year on campus. Anthony was selected third overall by the Denver Nuggets in the 2003 NBA Draft, and has also spent time with the New York Knicks, Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder before Portland signed him during this season.