CHICAGO — OG Anunoby could be on the verge of returning for a second time.
The defensive stalwart, who missed nine straight games because his surgically repaired elbow became “inflamed,” was upgraded to questionable for Friday night’s game against the Bulls.
Anunoby underwent arthroscopic surgery to remove a loose bone in February and missed nine consecutive games with either elbow inflammation or elbow tendinopathy.
His presence has led to great success for the Knicks, who are 15-2 when he’s available.
But he has played in most games since being acquired from the Raptors on Dec. 30.
The Knicks (45-31) fell to Orlando (45-31) in the tiebreaker and moved into fifth place in the East on Friday.
The Bulls (36-40) are in contention for a play-in spot.
Anunoby’s return would be a much-needed addition to a lineup that survived despite major injuries, including Julius Randle’s season-ender, but also the consistent 40-plus minutes of Josh Hart and Miles McBride. I relied on him to play at night.
Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said Thursday that Anunoby recently returned to practice.
“OG is good. He’s getting closer,” Thibodeau said. “So we’re optimistic about that, but cautiously optimistic.”
There was no morning shootaround in Chicago, as the Knicks were playing on the second night of a back-to-back.
