At one point, the Timberwolves were as close as 22 points behind, threatening to take away the game from the Knicks in the second quarter.
With less than five minutes left and Minnesota trailing by six points, OG Anunoby looked at Anthony Edwards. Anunoby was in contention for the top pick in Karl-Anthony Towns, pursuing the young star of the Troubles. Edwards danced his way into the lane, but the quick Anunoby stuck with him. Edwards cheated, pivoted and tried to create distance he never found. Anunoby, who has wings instead of his arms, was clearly bothering Edwards with his length.
Wanting to be out, Edwards flipped a pass that was intercepted by Jalen Brunson, and the point guard dished in transition for a running layup to Julius Randle. The bucket didn't quite end Toronto's run, but the Knicks' lead never dipped below five points for the remainder of the game.
That's the kind of quiet influence Anunoby has on the game. While traditional statistics may not capture his effectiveness well, the Knicks believe the long, active, powerful, sweet-shooting small forward will help the team win.
On Monday, Anunoby's impressive debut gave the Knicks their best win of the season, 112-106 at the Garden against the team with the best record in the Western Conference.
Acquired just two days earlier and with little knowledge of the playbook, Anunoby seemed to have no trouble adjusting. That's the point, right? He doesn't need the ball in his hands for his swing game. He switches and defends better than anyone in the league. He plays inside the offense and is a solid 3-point shooter. He works within the offense instead of the offense revolving around him.
Still, he held the ball well, scoring 17 points (including 3-of-6 from deep), grabbing six rebounds, and recording an assist and a steal. But the statistic that best explains his game is the fact that the Knicks outscored the Timberwolves by 19 points when he was on the court.
Saturday's trade wasn't an immediate fan favorite, as both RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley were fan favorites, but the first glimpse of the new Knicks likely has a high ceiling. The vision of a team built differently than before has begun to emerge.
The most obvious changes are the latest and best additions.
Anunoby will follow the opposing team's best wing and improve an already strong Knicks defense. He completely charmed Edwards, who finished with 35 points on 21 shots, even taking over the game in a matchup with the thinner Quentin Grimes while Anunoby sat.
Offensively, the Knicks continued to free up Anunoby, who is a good shooter, in the corners and made several back cuts for layups. Anunoby is active, knows his place, and brings the strength to finish through contact. He is listed at 6-foot-7, 232 pounds and plays as if he is one of the strongest players on the court.
There were other small changes for the Knicks, who gave up 33.2 points per game with Barrett and Quickley out.
Brunson and Randle sat on the bench for less than a minute during the entire game. Coach Tom Thibodeau is clearly concerned about not having enough of an offensive line and will rely heavily on Brunson (41 minutes played) and Randle (36 minutes) if the Knicks don't add more scoring wings soon. It will be. Remember Thibodeau's favorite topic, the protocol police?
Deuce McBride will be utilized more than usual, stepping into Quickley's role as Brunson's backup and Precious Achiuwa as the backup center. Donte DiVincenzo, who added 15 points in 26 minutes, could see more playing time and more shots.
After the biggest trade of the Leon Rose era to date, the role of the team is changing.
New year, new Knicks.
Are the Knicks better?
That seems to be the case, even if the loss of Quickley in particular hurts them at times. In one game, Anunoby made swaps a little more acceptable.
“He seems like the perfect person to complement our team well,” Randle said of Anunoby.
Today's back page
Trade pitch costs are high
The Yankees won't regret trading for Juan Soto, a generational hitter who immediately raises their World Series hopes and could be sold for a long-term home in the Bronx.
But in an offseason when so much value is placed on starting pitchers, one wonders if the Yankees could have acquired Soto without giving up four of their major league and minor league starting pitchers.
By releasing Michael King, Johnny Brito, Randy Vasquez, and Drew Thorpe, the Yankees were able to develop an attractive (though not necessarily successful) weapon in the major leagues. I traded him for strength. They probably thought a pitcher like Will Warren or Clayton Beater could fill the deep role vacated by Brito or Vazquez. They probably thought the jump of a promising player like Chase Hampton could make up for the loss of Thorpe.
Did they realize how difficult it would be to replace King as a No. 2 or No. 3 starter?
That didn't appease Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who signed with the Dodgers.
Frankie Montas' fallback option will not be paid, as was the fallback option he agreed to with the Reds on a one-year, $16 million contract after essentially missing a season due to shoulder surgery.
No bargains left. The demand for free agent starting pitchers far exceeds the supply.
There are serious concerns about Jordan Montgomery (who was never dominant until late last season) and Blake Snell (a 31-year-old who was great last year but led the majors in walks).
Perhaps they are chasing Shota Imanaga, who is also on the rise but is not as highly regarded as Yamamoto.
The next best player is probably Marcus Stroman, who turns 33 in May and had an 8.63 ERA in the second half of last season.
Perhaps the Yankees can aim lower, or trade for Dylan Cease or Shane Bieber to further deplete the system.
Again, Brian Cashman isn't mad at himself for trading Soto. But if the Yankees had known how difficult it would be to fill King's position, and how much it would cost, they probably would have pushed to let a position player go instead of someone like Vazquez.
everything according to plan
There's been a lot of drama along the way, but the College Football Playoff finals will be a battle of the unbeaten on the chalk, Michigan vs. Washington.
No. 1 Michigan defeated No. 4 Alabama in overtime 27-20 in the Rose Bowl, advancing to the CFP national championship game for the first time in an unprecedented season. Michigan fans, players, and coach Jim Harbaugh are proud that they overcame tremendous adversity and now have a resilient Alabama team and legendary coach Nick Saban reaching the Finals, and the Wolverines' defense is the best of the Crimson Tide's. He'll say he stopped quarterback Jalen Milroe's fourth down to clinch a berth. Michigan 3.
Critics will point out that this setback led to a cheating scandal that resulted in Harbaugh being suspended for the final three games of the regular season.
Meanwhile, No. 2 Washington is quieter but perhaps more dominant. Heisman runner-up Michael Penix Jr. and his versatile weapons withstood a late charge from No. 3 Texas in a 37-31 shootout victory in the Sugar Bowl.
Penix threw for 430 yards and several scores, and Roman Odunze and Jalin Polk each topped 100 yards, but Texas got the ball back with 41 seconds to play and marched to the Washington 13-yard line. But four passes later, Elijah Jackson beat a fade shot to Adonai Mitchell in the final, but Washington could celebrate and look forward to the title game that the BCS would give us as well. Ta.
What we're reading 📰
🏀 Julius Randle called it “amazing.” Tom Thibodeau was impressed. What was that? Jalen Brunson was 5-of-23 shooting. In a sense. Yes, the Knicks' star point guard struggled from the floor, but he had a career-high 14 assists on New Year's Day to lead New York to a victory over the Timberwolves.
🏈 It's been almost 10 years since Jim Harbaugh returned to Michigan to bring them back to the “Big Boy Table.” After an emotional comeback against Alabama, Harbaugh was finally able to put the resilient Wolverines where he wanted them to be, writes Zach Braziler.
Tyrod Taylor couldn't save the Giants' season, but he did bring a more offensive vertical element to the offense than franchise QB Daniel Jones. Ryan Dunleavy writes that the Giants need to understand why the offense bites more without Jones before deciding whether he joins the team going forward.
🏒 It's not hard to find players who deserve praise for Rangers' strong start, but Peter Laviolette believes one of the club's mainstays isn't getting enough attention. That would be Jacob Trouba, who the Rangers coach credits with strengthening the team's defense.
