By Anthony Caruso III | Publisher
Oklahoma City Thunder forward Carmelo Anthony is not happy that he sat on the bench for the entire fourth quarter. This included a chance to beat his former team.
The Thunder lost 126-125 in overtime to the Denver Nuggets. Anthony was drafted by the Nuggets in 2003.
“Yeah, of course,” Anthony said. “Of course, I wanted to be there, but that wasn’t my decision to make, so I kind of leave that to coach on that one.”
READ MORE: Click here for our latest NBA coverage
⚡️ Level up your game-day experience! ⚡️ Add some extra thrill to every play by betting with our trusted sports betting partners. Click the link below to get in on the action! 👇
The Capital Sports Report is your source for national sports news, but we need YOUR help to keep going strong! 💪 Just like traditional newspapers, we rely on your support to bring you the best coverage possible. Donations allow us to expand our reach, travel to cover more events, and bring you unique stories and perspectives you won’t find anywhere else. Invest in the future of sports journalism – donate today! You can make a monetary donation here.
There was an attempt to get Anthony in the game in the final stanza before overtime. He went to the scorer’s table with three minutes left in the game.
Then, Jerami Grant made a three-pointer from the corner to give the Thunder a six-point lead with 2:22 left in the contest. Anthony waved his hand, towards the court, before going back to the bench.
The game was tied with 15 seconds left, as Will Barton made a three-pointer. Following the play, Thunder head coach Billy Donovan called a timeout and then drew up a final play.
At this time, Anthony was still on the bench. Russell Westbrook, the Thunder’s best player, missed a three-pointer with two seconds left, thus sending the game into overtime.
“I was sitting for the whole fourth and there was like there and some change on the clock,” Anthony said. “[Grant] hit that 3, so it was like just let him continue to go out there and just play it out and see what happens. But then we wind up going to overtime.”
Anthony did return to action in overtime. He made a three-pointer with 2:40 left in the game that put the Thunder up two points.
READ MORE: Click here for our latest Sports coverage
The Thunder have now lost three straight games, currently in sixth place in the Western Conference. He had 23 points in the game.
“It was kind of a hard thing, I wanted to put Melo back in the game, but I think that unit was playing so well at that particular time, we were on a pretty good run, we were playing good, Jerami made a 3 when I wanted to put Carmlo back in,” Donovan said. “Carmelo’s always been a team guy, I think he felt like, ‘OK, Jerami’s playing well, let him go, let him play.”
Editorial Note: There are affiliated links on this page. We may receive compensation if you purchase a product through a link on our site. If you enjoy our work and would like to donate to support our coverage, you can do so through this PayPal link https://paypal.me/tcsrmedianj
Follow Us on Social Media:Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Telegram, Tumblr, YouTube, and TruthSocial
Check out our videos: Videos Keep Independent Journalism Alive! Ad-free experience and Exclusive Premium-plus content. Join our Paid Substack for additional content for $10 per month. This is ad-free content. We believe that what you read matters and great writing is valuable. Through Substack, writers can flourish by being paid directly by their readers.© 2007-2025 The Capital Sports Report. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcasted, rewritten, or redistributed.
