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The Portland Trail Blazers’ winning streak hit a snag against the Atlanta Hawks on Monday, but that didn’t stop Carmelo Anthony’s march up the NBA’s all-time scoring leaderboard. Thanks to a 14-point performance, Melo passed Elvin Hayes to claim the No. 10 spot on the points list.
After the game, coach Terry Stotts acknowledged the milestone and delivered a game ball to Melo. Once he had the floor, the former Knicks star explained that he was not sure if he was going to be able to crack the top 10 after an abrupt exit from his pre-Blazers stint with the Rockets.
"Couple years ago I ain't think I was gonna be in this moment..."
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) May 4, 2021
Melo's postgame speech after becoming the NBA's 10th all-time leading scorer
(via @trailblazers)pic.twitter.com/ZvKeyHtrFq
In his postgame media availability, Damian Lillard reflected on Melo’s perseverance and his value as a teammate.
"I appreciate him more as a friend than I do as a teammate, and I really appreciate him as a teammate. I think that really speaks to the kind of person he is."@Dame_Lillard reflects on the historic night with @Carmeloanthony pic.twitter.com/CZ4nH093AT
— Portland Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) May 4, 2021
With seven games remaining in the regular season, Melo trails Moses Malone by just 143 points for the No. 9 spot on the all-time scoring list.