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Anunoby

After totaling 51 points in Games 3 and 4, Anunoby entered Game 5 in the mix for NBA Finals MVP. However, he struggled for most of the night, and Jalen Brunson going off for 45 points put to rest any conversations about who would take home the Bill Russell Award. Even with the subpar Game 5, Anunoby’s play throughout the Knicks’ title run cemented his status as one of the top two-way players in the NBA. He can offer top-50 fantasy value during the regular season, even threatening top-25 status, and he’s surpassed 65 games each of the last two seasons.

Brunson put together a complete game on Wednesday, posting series-highs in points, field-goal percentage, and assists, while totaling his fewest turnovers. He got going with a 15-point second quarter, which he carried over into a productive 17-point second half. But even without looking at the numbers, he came up big for the Knicks throughout the fourth quarter, especially late, as he made multiple big baskets to keep New York within striking distance before OG Anunoby’s game-winning shot. Brunson has now scored 30 or more points in three of the four games — he’ll have a chance for a fourth on Saturday.

Anunoby was stellar again, following a series-best 28-point performance with 33 points and a game-winning shot. The go-ahead basket came in the closing seconds of the fourth quarter when the Knicks trailed the Spurs 105-106. Jalen Brunson missed a deep three-pointer, which Anunoby tracked down and tipped in with 1.2 seconds remaining. Before the tip-in, the one-time NBA champion had an efficient 31 points, largely due to his seven threes. After trailing by as many as 29 points and completing the comeback, New York will have a chance to end the series and win a championship on Saturday.

Anunoby started this game off hot, scoring 17 points in the first half. He ended up having his highest-scoring performance since the first round, and he came up big late with a three-pointer with nine seconds left to bring the Knicks within two points. Unfortunately, it didn’t lead to a win, but the Knicks still lead the series 2-1, with Game 4 in New York again on Thursday. Anunoby made plenty of impressive shots in this game, and they’ll need that high level shot-making to continue throughout the series.

Anunoby had been quiet on the offensive end up until the fourth quarter of Game 1, when he drilled a couple of huge three-pointers before finishing with 12 points in the final period. The veteran wing didn’t shoot as efficiently as he had over the first three rounds of the playoffs, but still managed to come up big when it mattered most on Wednesday to help New York to a come-from-behind win. Anunoby logged 31 minutes and appears to be recovering from his hamstring injury well. He’ll have a chance to help the Knicks take a 2-0 series lead on Friday.

After struggling for most of Game 1 in his first game back from a hamstring injury, Anunoby has looked sharper in Games 2 and 3. On Saturday, the Knicks’ forward shot 60 percent from the field and was also impactful as a rebounder and facilitator. And after shooting 3-of-10 from beyond the arc in the first two games, Anunoby made three of four attempts in Game 3. OG and the Knicks will look to complete the series sweep with a win on Monday night.

It took a while for Anunoby to find his rhythm in his first game back from a hamstring injury. However, he found offensive production at just the right time, as he scored nine of New York’s 14 points in overtime to help complete the largest comeback in the franchise’s history. Most importantly, Anunoby logged 34 minutes in his return and appeared to finish the game without any new or aggravated injuries. His status going into Game 2 will be one to monitor.

The Knicks will have their starting forward back for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Anunoby had missed the final two games of the second-round series against the Sixers, but his return on Tuesday will provide New York with more versatility on both sides of the ball. He’s averaging 21.4 points and 7.5 assists on 61.9/53.8/81.1 shooting splits during the postseason.

Anunoby missed Games 3 and 4 of the Knicks’ series against the 76ers, but he is expected to return to take on Cleveland. This doesn’t come as a surprise after he was a full participant in practice last week. Miles McBride replaced him in the starting lineup but will head back to the bench with Anunoby likely to return.

Due to their four-game sweep of the 76ers, the Knicks have not played since Sunday, May 10. Anunoby missed the final two games after straining his right hamstring late in Game 2, but there’s optimism that he’ll be ready for the Eastern Conference Finals. Friday’s practice participation is the latest bit of good news regarding the Knicks’ forward, who did everything without any restrictions. If Cleveland wins Game 6 against Detroit on Friday, the conference finals will begin on Sunday. However, if the Pistons force a decisive Game 7 that would be played on Sunday, Game 1 of the conference finals won’t be until Tuesday, May 19.