Knicks’ Odds to Win East Exponentially Increased With OG Anunoby

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OG Anunoby #8 of the New York Knicks dribbles toward the basket.

New York Knicks‘ bidirectional stud OG Anunoby returned from an 18-game absence and his impact was immediately felt.

The Knicks’ odds to win the Eastern Conference were +2,400 on Dec. 30 before completing the Anunoby trade. His arrival and subsequent 12-2 start with the Knicks increased their chances. After returning from an elbow injury on Tuesday, March 12, with a dominant 106-79 victory over the Philadelphia 76ersthe Knicks’ odds of winning the East have risen significantly to +950 at FanDuelwho is the number 4 bookmaker on Betting on Kentucky.

Anunoby proved to be the difference maker as he finished with a plus-28 in 29 minutes for the Knicks. He scored 14 points on 6 of 11 shooting with 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal.

“It was great. It’s been a while,” Anunoby told reporters as the Knicks improved to 13-2 with him in the lineup. “I missed playing here, I missed the fans, I missed my teammates.”

OG Anunoby makes life easier for Knicks teammates

Anunoby started with Josh Hart And Isaiah Hartenstein on the Knicks’ front court. The Travel outscored the 76ers in the frontcourt 40-26 in scoring and 28-11 in rebounding.

Hart came within one rebound of a 20-20 triple-double as his streak of eight games in 40 minutes came to an end. He played 39 minutes this time and delivered 20 points, 19 rebounds and 10 assists and reached a career high of plus-32 tied with Donte DiVincenzo.

” And There you go ” Hart told TNT reporter Jared Greenberg:. “I told you, once OG comes back, the minutes fly by baby!”

Hartenstein, who was plus-17 in just 20 minutes, said Anunoby made their job easier.

“It was huge,” Hartenstein said. “Just having him back, I think he even makes my job a lot easier on defense, so I can kind of help a little bit more, just knowing that he’s behind me or if he’s on the ball , I know I can turn. [away] and defend different players even 5s easily. So just having him back, I think it makes my life easier. And lets me walk around a little more.

OG Anunoby’s elbow feels ‘much better’

There were no signs of ill effects from the elbow surgery as Anunoby choked Tobias Harris, who scored only 2 points on 1 of 6 shooting. Anunoby didn’t even allow Harris to attempt only once against him in 5:17 they were confronted, according to NBA.com game tracking.

Anunoby slid comfortably and even darted to the basket with ease for a scoring snap in the second half. He also had one in transition as a Jalen Brunson trailer.

“I think it’s a lot better than January, so I’m happy,” Anunoby told reporters via SNY about his elbow. “It should get better and better.”

“I thought OG gave us a nice boost for the first time after a layoff,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau told reporters. “The energy and just the effort playing and the movement, the shooting, added a lot to the team.”

The win gave the Knicks (38-27) a one-game lead over the Orlando Magic (37-28) for the fourth seed.

They will look to increase that number when they embark on a four-game West Coast trip starting Thursday, March 14 in Portland, with Anunoby’s minutes expected to pile up.

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