The New York Knicks have officially stated their key starter OG Anunoby will not play in Monday’s important away game against the Golden State Warriors due to injury management.
Anunoby had a bad shooting performance in the Knicks' game against the Sacramento Kings, scoring only 2 points on 1 of 8 shooting on March 16. But 98-91 win Jalen Brunson scored 42 points to make up for Anunoby’s lack of scoring. Anunoby was uncertain to play in the Kings game, but he ended up starting and playing 33 minutes. However, it was his shortest time on the court since joining the Knicks from the Toronto Raptors on December 31 through a trade.
“I didn’t even know I was questionable,” he said, as stated by the
“Just impacting the game without scoring,”
Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau told reporters . “He’s like everywhere. OG is a basketball player. He does a little bit of everything.”Anunoby’s elbow started hurting when he tried to steal the ball from Portland’s big man
Deandre Ayton at the beginning of their current four-game West Coast trip on March 14. The Knicks have had a 15-2 record with Anunoby playing, with a league-best 103.9 defensive rating. Without the 3-and-D wing, they have a record of 8-10, and their defensive rating has dropped to 116.3, ranking them in the bottom 10.
The Knicks lost to the Warriors 110-99 without Anunoby on February 29 at Madison Square Garden. However, the Knicks have won 5 of their last 7 games since that home loss, including the last three with Anunoby.
Jalen Brunson Doesn’t Want Knicks Teammate to Risk His Health
Brunson wants Anunoby to recover from his elbow injury before the postseason.
“I feel like if he’s hurt, he wouldn’t play,”
Brunson told reporters after Anunoby’s re-injury scare in their away victory against the Trail Blazers on March 14. “I think a lot of us have mindsets like that.” Brunson has taken on the offensive responsibilities while Anunoby has been struggling with injury. The Knicks’ star point guard is the fourth player in the franchise history to have back-to-back 40-point games, joining
Carmelo Anthony , Patrick Ewing and Bernard King.It was Brunson’s seventh 40-point game this season.
Brunson had a great performance, shooting 17 of 28 from the floor and 5 of 10 from beyond the arc in another impressive game just two nights after scoring 45 points against the Portland Trail Blazers. He also contributed four steals, four rebounds, and two assists.
Alec Burks, Bojan Bogdanovic Need to Step up Anew
Against a deep Warriors team, Brunson will need all the help he can get, especially from their veteran leaders on the bench.
, who was benched in the second half in their win against the Trail Blazers, came back strong against the Kings, scoring 12 points. It was the first time in the team’s last five games that he scored in double digits.
Alec BurksBojan Bogdanovic
also made important baskets in the fourth quarter and ended up with 9 points in 24 minutes off the bench. The veteran duo acquired from the Detroit Pistons at the trade deadline contributed all but two of the Knicks’ 21 bench points. Key New York Knicks player OG Anunoby is unable to play due to injury against the Golden State Warriors. Learn about the team's strategy to adapt to his absence.
