With a 50-32 record, the Knicks finished second in the Eastern Conference in 2023-24. In the first round, New York was matched up against Joel Embiid and the 76ers. Jalen Brunson helped the Knicks win that series in six games. Now, the team is two games into the second round vs. the Pacers. New York has a 2-0 lead in the series after a win on Wednesday night.
Despite having a 2-0 lead vs. Indiana in the Conference semi-finals, injuries are starting to add up for the Knicks. New York knew they would be without Julius Randle. He needed season-ending shoulder surgery. On top of that, Bojan Bogdanovic needed season-ending surgeries on his wrist and foot. The injuries don’t stop there. Backup center Mitchell Robinson injured his ankle in Game 1 vs. the Pacers and is out 6-8 weeks. In Game 2 vs. Indiana, starting SF O.G. Anunoby had to leave the game in the second half due to a hamstring injury. Not ideal for a Knicks team that is trying to make a deep postseason run.
Will O.G. Anunoby be available for the Knicks in Game 3 on Friday night?
There is internal pessimism about OG Anunoby’s status for Game 3 @ IND tomorrow, per SNY’s @IanBegley
We’ll know more when the NBA releases the 5:30 PM injury report.https://t.co/d4VZjCGuiI pic.twitter.com/ECuz2aqATx
— The Strickland (@TheStrickland) May 9, 2024
The Knicks have managed to get this far in the postseason with several key injuries. However, O.G. Anunoby is an irreplaceable piece for New York. After being traded from the Raptors, Anunoby played 23 regular season games for the Knicks. He had to deal with a nagging elbow injury that kept him off the court. When he was healthy, Anunoby was a catalyst for the team’s success. New York went 20-3 in the 23 games he played for them in the 2023-24 regular season.
During the postseason, the Knicks have gone 6-2 in the games that O.G. Anunoby has played in. That’s even with the 2019 NBA Champion missing over a quarter last night due to a hamstring injury. There is pessimism that Anunoby will miss Game 3 and could be out extended time. Losing Anunoby long-term would be a huge blow to the Knicks this postseason. If the Knicks make it past the Pacers, they’ll likely be facing the Boston Celtics in the Conference Finals. New York needs a healthy O.G. Anunoby if they want any chance of escaping the Celtics and making the NBA Finals.
OG Anunoby exits the game with an apparent left hamstring injury 😳 pic.twitter.com/1hcTrMIxCw
— Knicks Fan TV 🏀🎥📺🏁 (@KnicksFanTv) May 9, 2024
In Game 2 vs. the Pacers, New York’s all-star PG Jalen Brunson also had some injury concerns. He left the game in the first quarter and was holding his hand. Brunson did not return in the first half but was available and played in the second half for the Knicks. However, TNT’s Chris Haynes reported that it was a foot injury for Brunson. New York cannot afford to have Jalen Brunson miss any time. He’s averaging (35.6) points and (8.1) assists per game in the playoffs. There will be an injury report released today at 5;30 p.m. EST with more information.
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