Carmelo Anthony's top 5 performances in a Denver Nuggets uniform

#3 Carmelo Anthony goes off for 49 points vs Washington: 08-02-2008

Carmelo Anthony stays locked in during the Denver Nuggets game

In this game against the Washington Wizards, Carmelo Anthony went to work from all over the floor but mostly dominated from the right wing. He exploited his matchups against Andray Blatche and DeShawn Stevenson on most switches.

Anthony started the game red-hot. In the first five minutes of play, he had scored all of the Denver Nuggets' points. This led to an 18-point first quarter, with 7/8 shooting from the field.

Without having to worry about rebounding with Marcus Camby on the glass, Anthony focused solely on scoring. Since Allen Iverson was feeding the ball to him, all he had to do was get to the right spot and let it loose.

Anthony shot 76% from the field and a whopping 100% from beyond the arc on three attempts. He was also a perfect 8/8 from the free-throw line.

The Washington Wizards would start double-teaming Anthony in the closing minute of the game to prevent him from scoring 50.

Flashback to when Carmelo Anthony had a career-high 49 points but the Wizards double teamed him in the closing seconds so he couldn’t get 50😂49 PTS19/25 FGs3/3 3P FGs8/8 FTs4 REBs2 ASTs2 STLs1 W#STAYME7O pic.twitter.com/KRfzR3PCJn

— CTRL the Narrative (@ctrlnarrative) April 11, 2020

#2 Carmelo Anthony has his first 50 point game vs New York: 27-11-2009

Carmelo Anthony in discussion with teammate Chauncey Billups

In this close win over the New York Knicks, Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups would combine for 82 points for the Denver Nuggets.

Anthony battled it out against the Knicks' Al Harrington, who scored 41 points for the game. However, the latter's 50 points gave the Nuggets the win.

Carmelo Anthony started the game going hard to the basket. Finishing in a crowd of Knicks' defenders, he would not be denied from scoring.

Going into the second quarter, Anthony started moving to his comfort zone on the right wing. He also ran the floor on fast breaks and cuts to the basket, helping Billups get some easy assist numbers.

While Anthony didn't have a great game from downtown, shooting only 25%, he shot an efficient 60.7% from the field overall. Over the course of the game, he also grabbed six rebounds and dished out five assists.

This game also happened to be the first time that Carmelo Anthony scored 50 points against a team. Considering that the Knicks are the team where he achieved his superstar status, this seems like a fitting coincidence.

On this day in history (2009) @carmeloanthony had his first 50 point game & it came against the Knicks: https://t.co/QlwX7jNqmo pic.twitter.com/Mfs8VozOS4

— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) November 27, 2017

#1 Carmelo Anthony scores 50 points in one of his last games with the Denver Nuggets: 07-02-2011

Carmelo Anthony argues a call with the referee

In his last season with the Denver Nuggets, Carmelo Anthony put on an offensive spectacle against the Houston Rockets. Although the Nuggets would lose this game 103-108, Anthony's 50-point night was a masterclass in scoring.

In a scoring duel against Kevin Martin, Anthony carried the Nuggets' offensive load on his back. Guarded closely by the Rockets' Chuck Hayes, he went to work on the right mid-post. He made use of his offensive arsenal, routinely going into spin moves and pump fakes to shift defenders out of position.

In a highly efficient shooting game, Anthony shot 66.7% from the field and 66.7% from downtown. He also shot 88.9% from the free-throw line while grabbing a game-high 11 rebounds on the rebounding front.

His efforts on the defensive end were commendable as he racked up three blocks and a steal over the course of the game.

On Saturday, Nikola Jokic scored 50 points vs. Sacramento. The last @nuggets player to put up 50 was Carmelo Anthony in February of 2011. #NBAVault pic.twitter.com/0XPZLab7f4

— NBA History (@NBAHistory) February 7, 2021

Given that Carmelo Anthony was traded to the New York Knicks on the 22nd of February in 2011, this was one of his final games for the Denver Nuggets.

Playing in front of the Nuggets home crowd and dropping 50 points can be seen as him signing off on a great career with the franchise that drafted him.