How do you replace 21.4 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game in the middle of a playoff series?
The Knicks may need to find an answer to that question.
Late in their Game 2 win over the Philadelphia 76ers, OG Anunoby suffered a leg injury. He left the court with 2:31 to play and the Knicks up by six.
He did not return. That fact alone tells you that Anunoby was in discomfort. The Knicks would obviously want Anunoby on the floor late in a close game — even if he was limited by injury.
They closed the game without Anunoby, beating the Sixers to take a 2-0 lead. But after the game, Anunoby was not available to reporters. Knicks head coach Mike Brown had no update when he spoke to reporters after the game. There is no point in speculating about Anunoby’s injury.
But if he is indeed sidelined for Game 3 and beyond, Miles McBride is comfortable taking on a larger role.
“Extremely comfortable. I feel like the coaching staff trusts me, I know my teammates trust me and I trust myself overall. So if that happens, I know I’ll be ready,” McBride said after Game 2.
McBride was on the floor to close the game. If Anunoby has to miss time, it’s fair to assume McBride’s minutes/responsibilities would increase. Maybe Brown inserts Landry Shamet into the rotation?
No matter who takes his place, the Knicks will certainly miss Anunoby (if he has to miss time).
Anunoby wasn’t just putting up great numbers in the playoffs (as referenced above), he was doing so efficiently. He made 60 of his 97 field goal attempts in the playoffs (61.2 percent), including 52.8 percent of his threes (39 attempts).
The Knicks were outscoring opponents by an average of 14.75 points per game with Anunoby on the floor.
“He’s one of the best two-way players in the league so it’s tough to replace that but you don’t replace him with one guy,” McBride said. “Everyone is going to have to step up.”
BUILDING MORE BRIDGES
Make that three in a row for Mikal Bridges. For the third straight game, Bridges had his fingerprints all over a Knicks win.
In Game 2, he had 18 points, five rebounds and two assists. He hit a step-back jumper from 20 feet to give the Knicks a six-point lead with three minutes to play.
Bridges also helped limit Tyrese Maxey to seven points on nine shots and three turnovers in the second half. Maxey went off in the first half with 19 points and four assists. He said after the game that he suffered a finger injury in the second quarter.
Even if that impacted him in the second half, Bridges and the rest of the Knicks deserve credit for their defense in the fourth quarter. Philadelphia shot 4-for-19 in the final period; Maxey and Paul George combined to shoot 2-for-12 in the fourth.
“You’re not stopping Tyrese Maxey. Tyrese, he had a great game. He had 26 points. But Mikal tried to make him work, especially in the second half, for every point he got,” Brown said after the game. “… You’re gonna have to keep working and give multiple efforts and the team defense behind him is gonna have to be great in order to even think you’re gonna slow him down, because he’s a great player.
“But Mikal did what he could, as well as everybody else behind him. And then on top of that, Mikal hit some big shots for us down the stretch, especially when we looked a little discombobulated offensively. He got to his spot and knocked down some big shots. So great game on both ends of the floor for Mikal.”
Bridges, Jalen Brunson, Anunoby and Karl-Anthony Towns combined for 90 points in Game 2. Towns (20 points, 10 rebounds) had his 13th playoff game of at least 20 points and 10 rebounds. That ranks fourth in Knicks franchise history. Towns also had seven assists. He continues to be a hub for the Knicks on the perimeter.
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