PHILADELPHIA — It was easy to be coaxed into forgetting just how important OG Anunoby has become to the Knicks’ DNA in a short amount of time. He came in, lit up the Garden, and helped the Knicks win almost every day.
And then he was gone. And he remained gone. Then he returned. And then he left.
Of course, the Knicks continued to win every time he returned.
He appeared in 24 games for them in the regular season. The Knicks won 20 of those games.
It wasn’t a coincidence. It wasn’t an accident. And while their record now stands at 23-5, Jalen Brunson’s exquisite 47-point outburst was the score for most players, Anunoby played an equally important role.
He scored 16 points. He grabbed 14 rebounds. He blocked three shots.
And he played stifling defense against Joel Embiid in the fourth quarter, leading the Knicks to a 97-92 win in two games in the Philly split, and three in this best-of-match game. This made it possible for them to maintain a lead of 1 and get out of the city. Seven.
“I’m not surprised at all,” Precious Achiuwa said. He was teammates with Anunoby in both Toronto and New York, and he himself had seven rebounds in 20 minutes. “He might be the NBA’s best defender, pound-for-pound. And tonight he was able to show that with his versatility and strength, challenging shots at the basket, and playing against heavyweight players like Embiid.” I was able to guard my opponent, but I was able to hold my own and take on the challenge.”
Anunoby, for example, takes great pride in not only being a ferocious defender, but also a versatile defender.
He is 6-foot-7 and 240 pounds. He shouldn’t be able to play to a tie with Embiid. But he played as close as possible to a tie with Embiid.
“I’m just going to fight as hard as I can,” Anunoby said. “He’s a great player. He’s going to score. He also has a way to counter our attack. I’m sure he’s seen everything. He knows how to counter it too. I’m just doing the best I can.”
This time, in this match, that was enough.
“Going into the series, we thought this was a possibility,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. “I probably would have used it more in a different situation. But the situation we were in, with Mitch… [Robinson] Isaiah on the go [Hartenstein] I was in foul trouble and I just wanted to see it, and he wanted to do it too, so I decided to take a look.
“And look, Embiid, he’s a burden. You’re not guarding him individually. You have to guard him with the team. So we understand that. ”
