Injuries starting to pile up for Knicks after Game 2
New York Knicks forward OG Anunoby.
The Knicks grabbed a 2-0 lead in their second-round series with Indiana, but manpower is becoming a concern as they get closer to the Eastern Conference Finals.
OG Anunoby left Wednesday’s game in the second half due to a sore left hamstring, the team announced (via X). Talking to reporters immediately following the contest, coach Tom Thibodeau said he hadn’t spoken with the medical staff and couldn’t provide any details on the severity of the injury, reports Ian Begley of SNY.
Before departing, Anunoby scored 28 points in 28 minutes, partly because Jalen Brunson was unavailable for the end of the second quarter due to soreness in his right foot. Brunson tested the foot at halftime and wound up playing the entire second half.
“A lot of toughness,” Thibodeau said, per Steve Popper of Newsday. “That’s the makeup — we know that’s his makeup — but also the makeup of the team. He went in back, they worked on him, he warmed up and we didn’t know if he was going to go or not. Jalen never asks out of a game, so we knew it was something.”
New York trailed by 10 points at halftime, but Brunson’s return swung the momentum. The Knicks tied the game in a little over four minutes and took control with a 21-6 run.
Brunson told reporters he’s “all good” with the injury and he didn’t have any medical imaging done on his foot while he was in the locker room, Begley adds (X link).
Josh Hart played the entire 48 minutes for the second straight game, posting a near triple-double with 19 points, 15 rebounds and seven assists. Donte DiVincenzo logged nearly 44 minutes as Thibodeau leaned on a seven-man rotation.
“He’s a great leader,” Thibodeau said of Hart. “Players all have respect for that, when a guy is willing to give whatever he has. Look at what Josh has given us, you have great respect for that, says a lot. To me, the actions speak a lot more than the words.”
The Knicks were already short-handed entering the game after losing starting center Mitchell Robinson with a stress injury in his left ankle that will sideline him for the rest of the playoffs. That’s in addition to missing All-Star power forward Julius Randle, who hasn’t played since late January due to a separated shoulder. Isaiah Hartenstein was on the court for 39 minutes tonight, while Precious Achiuwa saw 28 minutes off the bench.
Teammates are disappointed for Robinson, who battled his way from left ankle surgery in December so he could be available for the postseason, Popper adds in a separate story.
“It’s sad, especially from like a personal standpoint,” Hartenstein said. “We’re close. Knowing what he had to go through to get back, even when he was playing, he was giving us everything he had. I think without him, we wouldn’t have won the Philly series. It’s sad, but at this point, we’ve gotta be there to support him. Basketball wise, really it’s just next man up. We’ve gone through this all year. I think that’s something that gives us confidence. We’ve gone through this a million times. So it’s sad but I think it helps us now when we have something like this happen.”
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