Kobe Bryant won’t have a shot at regaining his Garden scoring record Sunday. Bryant visits MSG no longer owner of the arena mark and is a long way off from returning after a left knee injury, following his blown Achilles tendon.
He will, however, be in position to sell Carmelo Anthony on the Lake Show this summer despite their travails, with the injury-wracked Purple and Gold having lost 15 of their last 18 games to fall to 16-28, second-worst in the West.
Anthony is coming off the Knicks’ franchise and arena-record 62 points — one point better than Bryant’s 61 in 2008. In 2006, Kobe amassed 81 points in Toronto.
“I will tell him I was coming for 81,’’ Anthony joked late Friday night in the giddy Knicks’ locker room. “I still had seven minutes left.’’
Coach Mike Woodson pulled Anthony with the Knicks ahead by 37 points as they broke a five-game losing streak with a 125-96 crushing of the Bobcats.
Though the Knicks’ season has been morose, the Lakers are in even more dire straits, and it’s becoming hard to imagine Anthony — who has a place in Los Angeles — thinking he can win a title there. Complicating matters is Mike D’Antoni still is the coach, and their rift led to the coach’s departure in New York.
But the Lakers have cap space and the Clippers and the Bulls — at the moment — don’t. Anthony would be intrigued by the big market of Chicago, because he likes coach Tom Thibodeau. A Yahoo! Sports report Saturday said the Bulls are a stronger option for Anthony than the Lakers.
Right now, Anthony is thinking only about getting the Knicks (16-27) back in playoff position.
“Will I score 62 on Sunday?’’ Anthony said. “No. But as a team we have to have the same mentality and focus as [Friday].’’
He was reminded he also holds the U.S. Olympic scoring record of 37, set in 2012 in London.
“To do it on the USA stage, it’s a world stage, the whole world is watching,’’ Anthony said. “To do it here, these are people I’m in front of every day. Your own fans. Knicks fans. It’s something they were looking forward to, the way we played.’’
The Knicks, who didn’t practice Saturday, are 1-3 on the eight-game homestand. The Lakers are finishing up a disastrous seven-game trip and a miserable D’Antoni didn’t want to talk about his return to the Garden.
“It means it’s the last game of the road trip and I go home Sunday night,’’ D’Antoni said. “It doesn’t mean anything. It’s another team.”
D’Antoni probably had more talent in the Italian League with all the Lakers’ injuries, and to make matters worse, Pau Gasol blasted the team after Friday’s loss in Orlando. D’Antoni joked about Woodson’s record, saying, “What are the Knicks? Second place in the East?’’
Metta World Peace, who returned Friday but didn’t play, said he’s not bitter at the Lakers for amnestying him.
“No. The Buss family is family,’’ World Peace said. “I remember getting breakfast almost every Sunday morning with Dr. [Jerry] Buss. God bless Dr. Buss. And Jeanie Buss calling me to say hi. That’s family. They did what they had to do. It’s still doesn’t make a difference. They treated me like family when I was there. That’s how I always feel about the Buss family.”
World Peace said Anthony hasn’t asked him about playing for the Lakers.
“Only time I heard about another team is when he said he would like to opt out this year,” World Peace said. “Other than that, he’s all about the Knicks. He’s a really good teammate. He’s very humble and still able to make big shots and still be humble. Not many stars can do that. He’s relatable. I really enjoy playing with him.’’ … The Knicks have all but ditched their alternate orange weekend uniforms. They’ll wear white Sunday with the Lakers in purple and gold.