While the New York Knicks jumped out to a 2-0 series lead in their Eastern Conference semifinal matchup versus the Philadelphia 76ers via a 108-102 win at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday night, some of the luster related to the victory was lost due to the fact that forward OG Anunoby left the game with 2:31 remaining in the fourth quarter and didn’t return.
It appears the Knicks avoided what could have become a devastating setback.
What is OG Anunoby’s status for Game 3 at the 76ers?
On Wednesday afternoon, NBA insider Shams Charania of ESPN revealed that Anunoby has been diagnosed with a right hamstring strain. Anunoby is considered day-to-day, and he will officially be listed as questionable for Friday’s Game 3 at Philadelphia’s Xfinity Mobile Arena. Tipoff for that contest is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET.
ESPN stats show that Anunoby is the Knicks’ second-leading scorer during postseason play with an average of 21.4 points per game. He leads New York for the playoffs with an average of 1.9 steals per contest, and he also averaged 7.5 rebounds over the first eight games of the Knicks’ postseason journey.
Miles McBride ready to step up if OG Anunoby can’t go for Knicks
In the event that Anunoby either can’t play or is held out of Friday’s game, Miles McBride is ready to step up and have a bigger role.
“Extremely comfortable,” McBride said after Wednesday’s win about possibly having to step in for Anunoby, per Ian Begley of SNY. “I feel like the coaching staff trusts me. I know my teammates trust me, and I trust myself overall. So if that happens, I know I’ll be ready.”
Of course, McBride for Anunoby wouldn’t be a like-for-like swap. Over New York’s first eight playoff games, McBride averaged just 5.9 points per contest. Knicks head coach Mike Brown could also go with Landry Shamet, who has averaged 9.1 minutes and 1.8 points since the start of the playoffs.
“He’s one of the best two-way players in the league, so it’s tough to replace that, but you don’t replace him with one guy,” McBride added about the Knicks possibly being without Anunoby. “Everyone is going to have to step up.”