Portland Trail Blazers forward Carmelo Anthony to make debut vs. New Orleans Pelicans

Gilbert McGregor

Portland Trail Blazers forward Carmelo Anthony to make debut vs. New Orleans Pelicans image

The wait is over.

Per multiple reports, Carmelo Anthony will make his debut with the Portland Trail Blazers Wednesday as they take on the New Orleans Pelicans at the Smoothie King Center.

According to ESPN's Marc Spears, Anthony will get the start and is expected to play around 20 minutes.

After reports surrounding Anthony's signing surfaced last week, the Trail Blazers made the news official earlier. He joins Portland after a being away from the NBA for over a year – his last NBA appearance came in early November 2018 as a member of the Houston Rockets.

The 35-year-old Anthony will look to help turn things around for the Blazers, who have gotten out to a 5-9 start to the season. While Carmelo will add a boost, Portland will be without leading scorer Damian Lillard, who will miss the game with back spasms, per Casey Holdahl.

Anthony and the Blazers will take on the Pelicans Wednesday at 6:30 a.m. (IST).

Gilbert McGregor

Gilbert McGregor Photo

Gilbert McGregor first joined The Sporting News in 2018 as a content producer for Global editions of NBA.com. Before covering the game, McGregor played basketball collegiately at Wake Forest, graduating with a Communication degree in 2016. McGregor began covering the NBA during the 2017-18 season and has been on hand for a number of league events.