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Deni Avdija #8 of the Washington Wizards drives to the net as Isaiah Hartenstein #55 and OG Anunoby #8 of the New York Knicks defend.
THE New York Knicks have officially listed the boot key OG Anunoby absent for Monday’s crucial away match against Warriors of the Golden State because of injury management.
Anunoby is coming off his worst shooting performance as a member of the Knicks, scoring a season-low 2 points on 1-of-8 shooting in their game. victory 98-91 against the Sacramento Kings on Saturday, March 16. But Jalen Brunson lost 42 points, which was enough to cover up Anunoby’s offensive futility.
Anunoby was questionable before the Kings game, but he ended up starting and playing 33 minutes. However, those were his lowest minutes since the Knicks acquired him from the Toronto Raptors in a trade on Dec. 31.
“I didn’t even know I was questionable,” he said, according to the New York Post.
With his surgically repaired elbow hampering his shooting, Anunoby contributed in other areas producing 6 rebounds, 3 blocks, 2 assists and 1 steal to still finish with a net positive of plus-6.
“I just have an impact on the game without scoring” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau told reporters. “It’s like everywhere. OG is a basketball player. It does a little bit of everything. »
Anunoby’s elbow caught fire when he attempted a steal against Portland’s big man Deandre Ayton at the start of their current four-game West Coast trip on March 14.
The Knicks are 15-2 with Anunoby in the lineup with a league-best 103.9 defensive rating. They’re 8-10 without the 3-and-D wing and their defensive rating has suffered, dropping to a sub-10, 116.3.
The Knicks lost to the Warriors 110-99 without Anunoby on February 29 at Madison Square Garden. But the Knicks have since won 5 of their last 7 games since that home loss, including the last three with Anunoby.
Jalen Brunson doesn’t want his Knicks teammate to risk his health
Brunson wants Anunoby to get a run in right before the playoffs.
“I feel like if he was injured he wouldn’t play.” Brunson told reporters following Anunoby’s re-injury scare during their road win against the Trail Blazers on March 14. “I think a lot of us have a mindset like that.”
Brunson carried the offensive load for the Knicks with Anunoby injured and struggling. The Knicks’ star point guard just became just the fourth player in franchise history to record consecutive 40-point games, joining Carmelo AnthonyPatrick Ewing and Bernard King.
It was Brunson’s seventh 40-point game this season.
Brunson shot 17 of 28 from the floor and 5 of 10 from deep in another scintillating performance just two nights after torching the Portland Trail Blazers with 45 points. He added four steals, four rebounds and two assists.
Alec Burks and Bojan Bogdanovic must step up again
Against a deep Warriors team, Brunson will need all the help he can muster, especially from their veteran leaders on their bench.
Alex Burks, who was on the bench in the second half in their win over the Trail Blazers, bounced back against the Kings. The veteran guard scored 12 points, his first double-digit score in the team’s last five games.
Bojan Bogdanovic also made some timely baskets in the fourth quarter and finished with 9 points in 24 minutes coming off the bench. The veteran duo acquired at the trade deadline from the Detroit Pistons combined for all but two of the Knicks’ 21 bench points.
Alder Almo is a basketball reporter who covers the New York Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors for Heavy. He has over 15 years of experience in local and international media, including broadcast, print and digital. He previously covered the Knicks for Empire Sports Media and the NBA for Off the Glass. Alder is originally from the Philippines and is now based in Jersey City, New Jersey. Learn more about Alder Almo
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