There's trouble in paradise for the New York Knicks. Coming into their game against the Miami Heat, they were already without star point guard Jalen Brunson. Even without Brunson, the Knicks were still favored against the Heat. However, five minutes into the game, forward OG Anunoby was ruled out after an injury.
Anunoby's injury would end up being a hamstring injury. Unfortunately for the Knicks, this injury would knock the lanky forward out for at least two weeks, according to Shams Charania.
“New York Knicks forward OG Anunoby will be re-evaluated in two weeks due to a left hamstring strain, sources tell ESPN,” Charania reported on X.
Brunson injured his ankle against the Orlando Magic in their previous game. The outlook didn't look too good at first, as the Knicks guard was seen in a walking boot after the game. Thankfully, Brunson was diagnosed with just a Grade 1 ankle sprain. Brunson is still missing a few weeks, but there was hope that the ever-consistent Anunoby could help ease the load for Karl-Anthony Towns.
Anunoby has been one of the better 3-and-D guys in the NBA for a few years now. This season, the Knicks forward is averaging 15.8 points per game on 39.2% shooting from the outside. His impact on the defensive end is unmatched: Anunoby is averaging 1.9 steals and 0.7 blocks per game.
Against the Heat, it was Towns and Landry Shamet that stepped up for the Anunoby and Brunson-less Knicks. Towns finished the game with 39 points (31 in the first half), while Shamet picked up the slack in the second half with 30 of his 36 points. After the game, Towns said that they had to step up without their best player.
“JB was missing today,” Towns said of Brunson, “so we all had to step up and contribute to our team.”
