When the Knicks faced the 76ers in January, OG Anunoby’s primary defensive assignment was All-Star guard Tyrese Maxey.
After missing 18 games with an elbow injury, Anunoby returned to the lineup Tuesday night and was primarily tasked with protecting power forward Tobias Harris.
This defensive versatility certainly Knicks missed during Anunoby’s absenceand they averaged an 8-10 record while he was sidelined.
This is also why Tom Thibodeau smiled while refusing to say whether he considered Anunoby or fellow multi-positional defender Josh Hart the power forward or the small forward during Tuesday’s 106-79 win over the Sixers in the garden.
“I say that ironically because that’s the beauty of Josh and OG,” Thibodeau said after the match. “Both can play all three wing positions. They can play 2, 3 and 4, and they are interchangeable, and sometimes you can opt for the match.
“Like, ‘OK, we can enjoy it this way.’ »And I like that, I like that versatility. … We can make a lot of changes with these guys.
Tuesday’s win represented a strong response from the Knicks after scoring just 73 points in Sunday’s loss to the Sixers, the lowest score in the NBA this season.
But they have now allowed 74, 79 and 79 points in their last three games, marking the first time they have held three straight opponents under 80 since 2000 – when Thibodeau was an assistant coach under Jeff Van Gundy and Jalen Brunson’s father, current assistant Rick Brunson, was a guard on the roster.
“The fact is that 20 years ago that was really the style of play. So to be able to do that in today’s game is a credit to the team.” , Thibodeau said. “You have to be connected, you have to work together and you have to be able to count on each other.
“And I think that’s how our team plays, and we’ve had to use it most of the year when you’re short on players.”
Starting big men Julius Randle (shoulder) and Mitchell Robinson (ankle) also haven’t been available, of course, and they’ll be out again when the Knicks open a four-game west swing Thursday night at Portland.
Still, Anunoby’s return was an important step if the Knicks (38-27) want to maintain or improve on their fourth-place finish in the Eastern Conference over their final 17 regular-season games.
In going 13-2 this season with Anunoby in the lineup, the Knicks posted a 16.7 net rating in those games, which represents their point differential per 100 possessions.
For the entire season, only the Celtics, leading the East (11.3), have a net rating above 10.0.
Maxey missed Sunday’s game with a concussion and reigning MVP Joel Embiid missed both games with a knee injury, but the Knicks held the Sixers to 79 points in each game with 38 .1 percent shooting from the field and 27.0 (17-for-63) from 3.0-point range.
“You don’t replace Julius, you don’t replace Jalen and OG, those guys, but we can do it with our team,” Thibodeau said. “We can do it with our team’s defense, we can do it with our team’s rebounding. We can do that by taking care of the ball. It puts you in a position to win no matter who you have, who you play, where you play.
“So if we hold on to those three things, some nights we don’t shoot as well as others, I think that’s true for every team in the league. But you’ll be able to win if you do those three things.
Hart, who notched his fourth triple-double of the season, called Anunoby a “heavyweight” defensively and someone who “helps this team move forward.”
Anunoby returned the compliment to Hart, who averaged 16.1 points, 12.0 rebounds and 5.9 assists in 42.8 minutes per game over his last 10 appearances.
“He’s just relentless. He’s just a great player. He impacts both ends of the court,” said Anunoby, who replaced Precious Achiuwa in the starting lineup. “He makes shots, he passes, he rebounds. He does everything. He’s an incredible player. He takes [defensive] confrontations too.
