Las Vegas – While it’s still early, USA Basketball’s go-to guy offensively could be the Nuggets’ own Carmelo Anthony.
Anthony scored 11 of his game-high 18 points during the first quarter of Team USA’s 114-69 victory over Puerto Rico in an exhibition game Thursday night at the sold-out Thomas & Mack Center. Anthony led the Americans in scoring with 23 points Tuesday during a scrimmage against Puerto Rico. Thursday’s game on the Nevada-Las Vegas campus was Team USA’s exhibition opener in preparation for the world championships in Japan.
“Our team doesn’t need a go-to guy,” Anthony said. “Everybody is a go-to guy and can do what they do. But if they come to me and I have to make plays, I have no problem with that.”
Anthony started the game at power forward. Other starters for Team USA were guards Chris Paul and Dwyane Wade, forward LeBron James and center Chris Bosh.
Anthony was hot from the beginning. The 6-foot-8, 230-pounder scored the 40-minute game’s first basket on a jumper with 8:46 left in the first quarter. After Puerto Rico coach Julio Toro was called for a technical foul 21 seconds later, Anthony made two free throws to give the Americans a 4-0 lead. Anthony made 4-of-6 shots, including a 3-pointer, during the first quarter while also grabbing two rebounds and getting a steal in nine minutes of playing time. Team USA, however, led only 29-26 after Puerto Rico shot 53.3 percent from the field. Team USA led 48-35 at halftime.
“We learned a lot,” Anthony said. “At first, everybody had jitters.”
With Anthony sitting the entire third quarter, Team USA outscored Puerto Rico 35-13 with tough defense and numerous dunks and 3-pointers to take a an 83-48 lead. Anthony returned in the fourth quarter and made a 3-pointer with 9:57 remaining to give Team USA an 89-50 lead.
“Melo had a little bit of a rap coming into this,” USA Basketball managing director Jerry Colangelo said. “But he’s put that to bed. He came here with a game plan and a mission.”
Anthony’s dunk with 55 seconds left gave Team USA a 112-69 lead. He finished with 6-of-9 shooting from the field and five rebounds in 16 minutes.
Stoudemire sidelined
Amare Stoudemire did not play Thursday and will not be with Team USA in Asia.
The Phoenix Suns star has been trying to recover from knee surgery that limited him last season in the NBA and his girlfriend soon will give birth to their second child.
“He is not quite where he needs to be and he needs to continue his work here in the States to get ready for the season. He also is expecting the birth of a child, so we decided it would be best if he returned home,” Colangelo said in a statement.
Footnotes
Team USA will depart today to fly to San Francisco before taking a flight to Hong Kong and finally connecting to Guangzhou, China, for more training and exhibition games before the world championships. … Nuggets newcomers J.R. Smith and center Jamal Sampson attended Thursday’s game. … USA Basketball guard Chauncey Billups won’t be with the team in Asia because he is committed to spending time with his newborn daughter in Denver. Even so, the Denver native plans to keep in touch with his new teammates. “If I see something, I’m going to call them after the game,” Billups said. “I think they’ll be very successful.”
Marc J. Spears can be reached at 303-820-5449 or mspears@denverpost.com.
