Jalen Brunson was able to return to the Knicks floor after suffering a nagging injury Wednesday night, but the all-important OG Anunoby wasn’t.
Anunoby was enjoying the best offensive game of his postseason career, scoring 28 points and making four 3-pointers, but with 3:27 left in the Knicks’ third quarter, the team said he suffered a sore left hamstring. I dragged him back to the locker room. Game 2 was a 130-121 victory over the Pacers.
The two-way wing appeared to grab the back of his foot after missing a shot seconds earlier.
“I’m not sure [his status]. I haven’t talked to the medical authorities yet,” Tom Thibodeau said after the game. “I thought he was a very aggressive guy. At the end of Game 1, I thought he played really, really well defensively.
“And he picked up right where he left off. That was huge for us and I thought that allowed us to get off to a good start.”
Anunoby was averaging 14.7 points in the team’s first seven postseason games, but the former Raptors forward had a big showing Wednesday night, scoring 22 points on 8-of-15 shooting in the first half and leading the team. Brunson missed the entire second quarter with what he called soreness in his right side. feet.
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With the Knicks trailing by 10 points, Brunson emerged from the locker room tunnel after intermission to a standing ovation to start the third.
Anunoby made a crucial 3-pointer and layup before leaving, and the Knicks entered the third quarter up 36-18, taking a 99-91 advantage into the final period.
“It was huge,” Thibodeau said. “The path he took was [his points], it was a little bit of everything. … He ran the floor, hit threes, was good in transition, put the floor, attacked the rim, was decisive. It’s all positive. ”
Anunoby, 26, who was named to the Raptors’ All-Defensive team last season, also had nine blocked shots and eight steals through the Knicks’ first eight postseason games.
Including the postseason, the Knicks are 26-5 in games Anunoby has played since joining Precious Achiuwa in late December in exchange for former first-round picks RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley. raised.
With Mitchell Robinson out for the season with another left ankle injury and Anunoby unable to play in the fourth quarter, Achiuwa came off the bench for the Knicks, including a crucial dunk with less than four minutes remaining. He contributed to eight points in 28 minutes.
“I don’t know what the situation is, but [with Anunoby] At this point. It’s a matter between him, the medical and the team,” Achiuwa said. “But there’s always a protect-next-up mentality on this team. We have a lot of winners who will participate and contribute in any way they can.”
