No OG Anunoby? Big problem for Knicks
The Knicks are 22-13 in the playoffs in games OG Anunoby has played since his Dec. 2023 trade from the Toronto Raptors. They are 8-12 in the playoffs in games Anunoby has missed — and there’s a chance the star Knicks forward misses time in New York’s second-round playoff series against the Philadelphia 76ers.
Or beyond. Anunoby came up limping in the final minutes of the Knicks’ 108-102 victory over the Sixers in Game 2 at Madison Square Garden on Thursday. League sources confirmed to The Daily News Anunoby sustained a right hamstring strain and is listed as day-to-day on the team’s injury report.
He is questionable to play in Game 3 at Philadelphia’s Xfinity Mobile Arena on Friday. That is a huge blow for a number of reasons, chief among them Anunoby’s importance to the Knicks and their title hopes this season. The Knicks are 110-54 all-time in games their star forward has played and are just 27-24 in games he’s missed due to injury.
He had 18 points on seven-of-eight shooting from the field and logged 24 points, five rebounds and four steals in the Game 2 win after averaging 21. 5 points on 61% shooting from the field and 56. 7% shooting from 3-point range in the first round against the Atlanta Hawks.
Now, he could be on the shelf — hamstrings are fickle, and dangerous to rush in a return to the floor. NO CAUSE FOR CONCERN? There wasn’t an air of caution about the Knicks locker room after Anunoby’s injury on Tuesday.