Carmelo Anthony got off to a fine start in his Portland Trail Blazers debut on Tuesday.
But as the game wore on, his offense wore down as he struggled to make shots and hold on to the ball in a 115-104 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans.
Anthony, playing and starting in his first NBA game since Nov. 8 of last year, hit his second shot from the field, an open 3-pointer from the wing.
It followed an opening Portland possession that saw Trail Blazers center Hassan Whiteside try a little too hard to get Anthony involved with a forced pass to the baseline that turned into a steal for Pelicans forward Kenrich Williams.