Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- The Knicks survived a tight Game 2 against the 76ers but lost a key player, OG Anunoby, late in the fourth quarter.
- The absence creates immediate defensive challenges and could test the team's depth in the coming games.
- How the coaching staff adjusts its rotation will determine New York's ability to hold onto their series lead.
The New York Knicks are off to a flying start in the Eastern Conference semifinals, building a 2-0 series lead over the Philadelphia 76ers. Wednesday's six-point win was the closest game that the Knicks have played in a while, surviving a foul-plagued night for Karl-Anthony Towns, but the victory may have come with a big cost.
OG Anunoby exited the contest late in the fourth quarter after appearing to injure his hamstring in the run of play. It looked as if Anunoby was attempting to play through something when he got little lift on a dunk attempt that was blocked, leading him to ask Mike Brown to sub out of the contest.
Mikal Bridges finished the game for New York, but the larger concern for the Knicks right now is the availability of Anunoby going forward. Brown had no update when he spoke to the media after the game and the Knicks have just one day off before the series resumes on Friday night in Philadelphia for Game 3.
Why OG Anunoby's absence could be a big problem for the Knicks
Knicks' fans experienced an eerie sense of deja vu with Anunoby last night, who also suffered a hamstring injury during a Game 2 victory against Indiana in the second round two years ago. That injury was more severe and cost Anunoby pretty much the entire series, which was evident when he tried to gut through it in Game 7 but could not move well at all.
Those Knicks were fairly injury riddled, with multiple key rotation players out for the entire postseason, but this year's group is far healthier. The presence of Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns, both of whom were not on the 2024 Knicks, should ensure New York has enough fire power to get past the 76ers if Anunoby needs to miss time in this series.
It is hard to argue, however, that any player has had a bigger impact on both sides of the ball for the Knicks this spring than Anunoby. While Towns has been the Knicks' skeleton key on offense, Anunoby has taken his game to another level in the postseason, averaging 21.4 points per game while also handling some of the most difficult defensive assignments.
Anunoby has rotated between Tyrese Maxey and Paul George frequently in this series, which has been a big help with Joel Embiid hobbling. Bridges is more than capable of filling Anunoby's shoes against one of those players, but Brown will need to rely more on Deuce McBride, Landry Shamet and Jose Alvarado to offer defensive support on the wings if Anunoby misses time.
Holding a 2-0 lead against a hobbled 76ers team with a deeper bench should buy the Knicks the ability to be conservative with Anunoby. The last thing the Knicks can afford is to lose their best wing defender against either Detroit or Cleveland in the Eastern Conference Finals or, if they get that far, a Western Conference goliath in the NBA Finals.
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