Up three points with a minute remaining, the Knicks needed a stop against the fiery Kings to secure their third straight victory. OG Anunoby was 1-for-8 from the field on the night, playing through an aggravated elbow that he recently had surgery on, but Tom Thibodeau entrusted him with closing out the game.
Sacramento went to their trusted De’Aaron Fox–Domantas Sabonis pick-and-roll, which New York trapped. Fox quickly dumped it into Sabonis, en route to 21 points on 9-16 shooting, who caught it just outside the paint.
Meeting him as the low man was Anunoby, who absorbed a Sabonis power dribble most guys not named Draymond Green couldn’t, standing his ground and swiping at the ball. Isaiah Hartenstein came over to help, and the two forced a turnover, giving Jalen Brunson the chance to put the game away on the ensuing possession.
On a night where Anunoby clearly didn’t look like himself, he still made arguably the game-defining play, once again displaying his All-NBA level defensive talent and impact. He also finished with three blocks and one steal, plus maintained his streak of all positive plus-minus games as a Knick.
It’s sometimes hard to capture a player’s importance in their absence, but it becomes much easier once they return, as we’ve seen these last three games since Anunoby’s recovery. He’s averaged less than 10 points, but is a plus-45 in 97 minutes in three consecutive wins – two over playoff teams – with Julius Randle still sidelined.
Against a Philadelphia team New York lost to the game prior, Anunoby’s return gave the team an immediate lift, allowing them to ride an early double-digit lead to a resounding victory. He recorded an early assist, followed by a stepback jumper and open three within the first five minutes.
The Sixers ended up shooting 37.5 percent from the field as a team and were held under 80 points, a rare sight in the modern game. Meanwhile, Anunoby contributed 14 points on 11 shots, hitting a couple of threes and providing the requisite spacing for Brunson and others to thrive.
The Knicks then began their West Coast swing against the Trailblazers, in which Anunoby aggravated his surgically repaired elbow. Despite clearly laboring, he bulldozed his way to 12 points and nine rebounds and helped New York force 17 turnovers and hold Portland to just 93 points in the win.
In all these games, hurt or not Anunoby was the Knicks’ defensive glue, showing why they traded two key pieces for him in pursuit of a championship. He was effective on and off the ball, and took added pressure off the full team’s suite of positive defenders.
Against the 76ers, Anunoby spent most of his time on Tobias Harris, who didn’t attempt a single shot against him. In fact, Philly players only shot the ball three times when guarded by Anunoby, a testament to his threatening one-on-one ability.
Toumani Camara and Dalano Banton got the pleasure of Anunoby’s focus in their game, and went a combined 0-for-5 from the field against him. He was mostly a free safety against the Kings but ended up with a major game-sealing play.
His offense has been mixed with the hurt elbow, but the added spacing he provides as a corner shooting threat was badly missed. That was certainly a contributing factor to Brunson’s historic back-to-back 40-point nights.
We also saw Anunoby’s usual array of random cuts and strong drives, the latter of which included some coming off of set plays for him. While we’re used to seeing his explosiveness on the other end, the flashes of his offensive game – like a spin dunk against the 76ers – are a welcome weapon for the Knicks.
Having survived the absence of three of their starters, the Knicks are now ready to insert them back in the rotation and make their push toward the playoffs. With Anunoby in tow, 100 percent healthy or not, they’re in a much better place to do so.
