Sports

Team USA shatters scoring records, Knicks’ Anthony sets new Olympic high with 37 points

LONDON – Carmelo Anthony had a wild London party at the Olympics tonight and it made history.

The party took place at the basketball venue at Olympic Park before 12,000 fans. Anthony set the all-time record of most points by a U.S. player at the Olympics, erupting for 37 , making a record 10 3-pointers on 12 attempts in Team USA’s record-setting 156-73 destruction of Nigeria – an 83-point massacre. It was the largest margin of victory for the U.S. Olympic Team.

Anthony broke Stephon Marbury’s record for 3-pointers and points. Marbury scored 31 points vs. Spain during the 2004 debacle, making 5 3-pointers.

“The way they were telling me to shoot the ball, encouraging me to make and take shots, just the feeling every time I touched it, it’s hard to explain it,” Anthony said. “If you’ve never done it, you wouldn’t understand it.’’

The Americans set the record for most Olympic points. Andre Iguodala made a 3-pointer to give the Americans the highest point total in Olympic history as the score reached 139-68 with 4:30 left, beating Brazil’s 1988 record of 138.

Team USA was up 49-25 after one quarter – an indication this would be out of control after the Americans struggled early with Tunisia. It was 78-45 at halftime. Clearly Coach K’s club was out for blood.

“We just shot better than any team in a game that I ever coached,’’ Mike Krzyzewski said. “Our guys just couldn’t miss tonight. They shared the ball – 41 assists. When you hit 29 3’s, it’s very difficult to lose in a game like that. An incredible shooting performance that’s not going to happen very often.’’

Melo hit his 10th 3-pointer with 4:00 left in the third quarter and put his hands up in Jordanesque fashion, as if to say he couldn’t explain it either.

Melo had 12 points after one quarter and 19 at halftime when he was 5 of 7 from the 3-point stripe. He hit five straight 3-pointers without a miss in the third and was taken out. His 37 points came in just 14:29 of game action.

Anthony’s 3-point shot has never been close to his strength as a shotmaker but he feasted on the international distance. After the Tunisia game in which Anthony was a perfect 6 of 6, Coach K mentioned he was one of the best international players he has ever coached.

“I thought we made some mistakes on defense,’’ Nigeria coach Ayodele Bakare. “We left the 3-point line unguarded.’’