The New York Knicks rattled off a crucial victory over the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals on Friday.
After star forward OG Anunoby strained his right hamstring during Game 2, the Knicks knew they needed to win at least Game 3 or Game 4 to avoid a tight series heading back to New York.
Anunoby, 28, is considered one of the best two-way players in the NBA. He possesses remarkable defensive versatility and delivers consistently on offense as well. But he is now dealing with an injury that often sidelines players for multiple weeks.
Anunoby’s injury was especially ill=timed.
He hurt his hamstring with just under three minutes to go in an eventual Game 2 win for the Knicks. He almost made it out unscathed.
New York is now left walking a fine line. It has aspirations that extend well beyond this second round series and the team knows its chances of survival massively dwindle if Anunoby is not healthy.
That alone cracks the possibility of Anunoby not playing again in the second round.
The good news is the Knicks are just one win away from advancing to the conference finals for the second year in a row.
N.Y Given Big Warning on OG Anunoby’s Injury Situation
The Knicks knew what was at stake in Friday’s Game 3 in Philadelphia.
A win would effectively put the series to bed. A loss would reopen the door for Philadelphia and provide a major confidence boost.
GettyNew York Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson drives to the basket.
With the Knicks potentially dealing with Anunoby’s injury on an indefinite timeline, the last thing they can afford is to get into a boxing match in just the second round.
Now that the Knicks are up 3-0 on the Sixers, they can breathe a sigh of relief knowing they just bought Anunoby more time.
But, in the unlikely scenario the Sixers make this a series again, the Knicks are strongly warned against playing Anunoby.
“It seems it’s not a horrible hamstring strain, which is good,” said NBA reporter Tim Bontemps on the “Hoop Collective” podcast. … That is not a ‘you come back in a day or two’ injury.
Added Bontemps: “The thing the Knicks have to be, I think, extraordinarily careful about with this is, if OG comes back and hurts [his hamstring] again, he’s probably done for the playoffs. … [The Knicks] need him to get to the end, so they’ve gotta be extraordinarily careful with a guy who has a history of muscle injuries.”
Knicks Confident Star’s Injury Not a Major One
Considering Anunoby’s initial injury status designation was questionable, it is fair to assume the Knicks dodged a major bullet.
GettyJalen Brunson and OG Anunoby of the New York Knicks during an NBA game.
According to reports, Anunoby incurred a “minor” hamstring strain. That may be encouraging because the star forward may receive a shorter recovery timeline, but it is still a soft-tissue injury, which is notoriously tricky to manage because of the high risk of re-injury.
Barring a collapse, the Knicks appear they don’t need Anunoby to close out their second round series against the Sixers, but Game 1 of the following series is where things could get interesting.
If Anunoby needs 1-2 weeks before he can re-gain full strength in his hamstring, that means the Knicks would be forced to start the conference finals without Anunoby in the lineup.
As the Knicks-Sixers series continues to reach the end, more information should become available on Anunoby’s potential return timeline.
Knicks Receive Strong OG Anunoby Injury Warning Ahead of Game 4