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As the New York Knicks will take on the Indiana Pacers in an integral Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals of the NBA Playoffs, fans should be glad to hear the latest injury news regarding stars OG Anunoby and Josh Hart. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, both New York players will play on Sunday afternoon against Indiana at Madison Square Garden.
Anunoby has missed the last four games after suffering a hamstring strain as his presence for the Knicks is beyond huge as besides providing a boost on offense, he is arguably their best defender. In the eight postseason contests that he has been involved in, he has averaged 16.4 points, 6.8 rebounds, one steal, and one block per game. The initial belief as explained by ESPN was that the former Toronto Raptor would be out until the start of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Boston Celtics.
Josh Hart in for Knicks' crucial Game 7
As for Hart, he is suffering from an abdominal strain that noticeably limited him in the Game 6 loss but per Wojnarowski, will suit up on Sunday.
Hart has in some ways been the glue of the Knicks this season and in the playoffs as head coach Tom Thibodeau trusts his player so much that it has not been unusual to see the Villanova product play the full 48 minutes before. However, it seems as if the wear and tear may have caught up, but Hart has been one of many injuries New York has suffered as superstar Jalen Brunson says “you can just add it to the list” according to Fred Katz of The Athletic.
“I guess you can just add it to the list,” Brunson said. “There’s a lot of things obviously that physically don’t go our way with our team this year…I think our main focus is whoever we have out there, regardless of what you’re dealing with or anything — if you are out there, you are ready to go. Yes, Josh asked to come back out, but he went back in and gives everything he has. What more can you ask for from a teammate? Knowing the situation, we’re just going to have each other’s backs.”
Knicks dealing with a multitude of injuries besides Hart, Anunoby
Despite the immense amount of injuries for New York that go far beyond Anunoby and Hart as others like Julius Randle, Bojan Bogdanovich, and Mitchell Robinson are out for the foreseeable future, the mindset is “next man up.” Knicks star Donte DiVincenzo who has been instrumental to their success says the injuries have been deflating but they “have more than enough.”
“You never wanna see anybody get hurt, but it’s been our season,” DiVincenzo said. “We have more than enough, whoever’s on the court. I’ve said it 100 times.”
Another player who has filled in big time for the likes of the aforementioned absences of Randle and Robinson is Isaiah Hartenstein who has been averaging eight points and 9.2 rebounds in the semi finals. Also known as a close friend to Hart, he talked about his intensity when playing basketball, saying after the Game 6 loss that “if his leg's not falling off,” then he will “probably play.”
“Just knowing him, he’ll do whatever to play. If his leg’s not falling off, I can probably say he’ll probably play,” Hartenstein said. “I haven’t talked to him. We’ll see. It’s hard. He’s done so much for us this season.”
Hart and Anunoby eager to get Knicks to Eastern Conference Finals
Hart has been significant to New York as during this East semifinals matchup against the Pacers, he has averaged 13 points, 11.3 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game. However, Hartenstein says that the Knicks' goal is to not delve too deeply on their bad luck with injuries as it could hold them back.
“If you get too focused on that, it’s going to be hard to get through,” Hartenstein said via The Athletic. “What we’ve been focusing on is day by day, just trusting the process. Yeah, it’s not easy, but we just have to keep pushing.”
