Barbara Barker: Knicks win Game 2 battle but may lose OG Anunoby
Knicks’ OG Anunoby laying up the ball against Dominick Barlow of the Philadelphia 76ers during the 4th quarter in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday. Credit: Newsday/J. Conrad Williams Jr.
OG Anunoby was having the kind of postseason that can elevate a very good player to superstar status.
Anunoby has been the MVP of the Knicks playoff run so far, and he appeared to be headed for another big night in the fourth quarter of the Knicks’ 108-102 Game 2 win over the Philadelphia 76ers.
But, with a little more than three minutes left and the Knicks leading by four points, Anunoby’s night suddenly ended when he pulled up and reached for the back of his right leg as he cut to the basket. Right after the cut, he attempted a two-handed dunk of Josh Hart’s pass and was blocked by Paul George.
Anunoby was clearly in pain as he headed back on defense and appeared to be calling to the Knicks bench to send in a replacement. Knicks coach Mike Brown called a timeout with 2:31 remaining and sent in Deuce McBride to replace him.
Anunoby headed to the locker room and the Knicks held on for win in his absence to take a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals series.
As much as Knicks fans might want to celebrate the win, the loss of Anunoby for any period of time would be a tough blow. He is the Knicks top defender and recently has become an important offensive weapon.
Just how injured was Anunoby and what exactly was his injury? No one seemed to know or if they did they didn’t want to share. Anunoby had left the locker room by the time the media came in and coach Mike Brown had little information in his postgame news conference.
“I just know that he left the game,” Brown said. “He looked like he was hobbling. I haven’t talked to him.”
Anunoby was having a big-time game before his exit, excelling on both ends of the court. He was instrumental in slowing George, holding him scoreless on 0-for-4 shooting in the final quarter. He scored 24 points on 9-for-17 shooting with five rebounds, one block and four steals.
McBride, who would be one of the main players to fill Anunoby’s shoes, was asked how the team would handle the injury.
“He’s one of the best two-way players in the league, and it’s tough to replace that,” said Miles McBride, who will likely be called upon to fill Anunoby’s huge shoes if he misses any time. “You don’t replace it with one guy. Everybody’s going to have to step up.”
Heading into Game 2, Anunoby had taken his game to a new level. He had hit 19 of his 32 three-point attempts in the playoffs and the Knicks were a plus-105 when he was on the floor.
In their Game 1 blowout, f the 76ers, he had 18 points on 7-for-8 shooting.
The Knicks entered the game looking almost unstoppable, having won four straight games where they outscored their opponents by a total of 135 points. Their most recent win had been a 137-98 dismantling of the 76ers in Game 1.
So, when All-Star center Joel Embiid was suddenly downgraded to out on the 76ers injury report with back and ankle pain, it looked like there was a good chance for another easy Knicks victory.
Knick fans, however, got some bad news less than two hours before the game when Mitchell Robinson was listed as out because of an unspecified illness.
Later, Karl-Anthony Towns picked up his third foul less than a minute in the second quarter. Towns, who should have been the Knicks biggest advantage, was limited to 8:17 in the first half.
With Towns tethered to the bench, Anunoby answered the call. Now, unless his injury looks less serious than it was, someone else will have to do that in the future.
“We’ll see what it is, but next man up,” Mikal Bridges said. That’s really it.”
Barbara Barker is an award-winning columnist and features writer in the sports department at Newsday. She has covered sports in New York for more than 20 years.
