OG Anunoby previously played 56 minutes in triple overtime against the Raptors during the 2021-22 season. As such, he's not too worried about posting huge totals in the last three games in four days against the Knicks.
He played 44 minutes against the Magic on Monday, 43 minutes against the Rockets on Wednesday and 43 minutes against the Wizards on Thursday.
“I felt good. I feel okay,” Anunoby said after Thursday's win against Washington. “I didn't even know how many minutes it was. I felt good. I played like 58 a game in Toronto. I've been playing a lot of minutes before. So I'm used to this.”
Overall, Anunoby has averaged 36.7 minutes per game in 10 games since being acquired from the Raptors and will be in the Garden on Saturday night alongside former Knicks returnees RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley.
Only five NBA players have averaged more playing time this season through Thursday league games.
“OG was OG. He's something,” Tom Thibodeau said. “At the end of the day, sometimes that's what it takes. So you do what you think is called for.
“Right now we are adjusting and we have to find our way forward.”
With Josh Hart sidelined with a knee injury, Thibodeau played at least 38 minutes for all of the starting five against Washington.
“That's where we are,” he added. “If you keep it up every day, some guys make big plays. We're undermanned. That's what happens.”
The Knicks will face one trade option for former Nets guard Bruce Brown on Saturday ahead of the Feb. 8 deadline. He was acquired by the Raptors from Indiana in the Pascal Siakam deal earlier this week.
Knicks trade chip candidate Quentin Grimes was the only reserve player to play more than nine minutes in Thursday's win. However, he finished scoreless on 0-of-5 shooting (all 3-pointers) and was minus-12 points in 19 minutes.
Hart (left patellar tendinopathy) was listed as questionable again after missing the game for the first time this season on Thursday night. Jakob Poeltl (ankle) is out with the Raptors, and Otto Porter Jr. (ankle) is questionable.
