CARMELO HAS 19 IN DEBUT

Carmelo Anthony sizzled in his first game with the Thunder, though Chris Paul and the Rockets look like they will be just fine without him.

Houston overcame Anthony’s 19 points in just 20 minutes and Paul George’s 15, spoiling their Oklahoma City debuts with a 104-97 victory on Tuesday night in Tulsa.

Paul had 11 points and seven assists in his Houston debut. The Rockets tried to acquire Anthony after getting Paul, but couldn’t work out a deal during their summer-long discussions with the New York Knicks, who instead dealt their leading scorer to Oklahoma City on the eve of training camp.

James Harden had 16 points and 10 assists, Sixth Man of the Year Eric Gordon scored 21 points, and the Rockets made 24 3-pointers. MVP Russell Westbrook didn’t play for OKC.