A kid ran onto the court in New Orleans to hug Carmelo Anthony
The New York Knicks were officially eliminated from the chase for an Eastern Conference playoff spot over the weekend. They followed that up on Monday by blowing a 10-point lead to a New Orleans Pelicans team playing without Anthony Davis, Ryan Anderson, Eric Gordon, Tyreke Evans, Quincy Pondexter, Norris Cole and Bryce Dejean-Jones, whose name you might not know but who actually started 11 games for New Orleans this season.
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That — all of that — is bad. Very, very bad. And sometimes, when bad things happen, you just need someone to show you a little love and affection. Luckily for Knicks star Carmelo Anthony, one young fan was ready and willing to provide it … albeit in a pretty surprising setting:
On one hand, it was very nice of that young man to run out onto the court to give Melo a hug. On the other, though: that is very against the rules, my friend. You super can’t do that! It is dangerous!
Thankfully, the young fella’s actions packed no malice, and after Melo accepted his hug — with no whistle, because as all Knicks fans know, Melo never gets calls on contact! — he palmed the child’s head, keeping him in place for a second until the referee could redirect him back off the court and up into the stands at Smoothie King Center.
“They just let that happen?” asked Pelicans color commentator David Wesley, speaking for a nation of onlookers. Yes, David. Yes, they did. (Perhaps because it was the most interesting moment of the game.)
Anthony finished with 22 points on 9-for-22 shooting, six assists, five rebounds and one sneak-attack hug in 36 minutes, but that wasn’t enough to put the Knicks over the top. A dismal 10-point third quarter doomed New York, allowing a shorthanded Pelicans club led by returning point guard Jrue Holiday (22 points, six rebounds, six assists, four steals) to snag a 99-91 win.
It was the Pelicans’ first win this season when scoring fewer than 100 points. They had been 0-33 before Monday night. Hugs for everyone; hugs all around.
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Dan Devine is an editor for Ball Don’t Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
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