Amick’s Latest: Lottery Reform, Mosley, Lakers, Wolves, More
A “heavy frontrunner” has emerged as the NBA considers its options to reduce tanking, league and team sources tell Sam Amick of The Athletic.
In March, the league presented three separate lottery reform concepts to its governors to address the problem. It appears option No. 1, which expands the draft lottery to 18 teams from the current 14, has received the best reception, according to Amick. The proposal would give each of the bottom 10 teams an 8% chance of landing the top overall pick, and the remaining 20% would be distributed among the other eight. It’s a significant change from the current system, which provides the three worst teams with a 14% chance at the No. 1 selection, with the odds steadily declining for the rest.
Several general managers that Amick contacted point out that option No. 1 could result in new problems that should be addressed before a vote is taken. There could be an outcry if one of the four lottery teams that reaches the playoffs winds up winning the top overall selection. Although the odds of that happening are slim, the huge jumps taken by Atlanta, Dallas and other teams in the last two lotteries show that it’s possible.
The next step in the process will take place on Tuesday with a league-wide meeting of GMs on Zoom. Draft reform won’t be the only topic of discussion, but it will be the main issue, Amick adds. He hears that commissioner Adam Silver is taking a “collaborative approach,” welcoming extensive feedback, with the league’s competition committee taking the lead and representatives from the players union also involved.
A vote on reform is expected at the next Board of Governors meeting in May, and at least 23 of the 30 teams must approve the proposal for it to be adopted. Silver stated in February that he hopes to have a new system in place by next season.
There’s more from Amick:
- Orlando’s playoff success may be complicating a few expected coaching moves. Amick notes that rumors about Jamahl Mosley being on the hot seat have been circulating since October, and they intensified when the Magic lost their final regular season game and their first play-in contest. Former Bulls head coach Billy Donovan and Bucks associate head coach Darvin Ham were seen as potential replacements, and Mosley was viewed as a possible candidate for the Pelicans. However, Orlando holds a 2-1 lead in its series with top-seeded Detroit, and Amick believes Mosley is worthy of a “second look” from Magic officials if he can get the team to at least the second round.
- Amick addresses a few other coaching situations, including Tiago Splitter‘s unique position with the Trail Blazers and Mike Brown‘s Finals-or-bust mandate with the Knicks. Amick also believes pressure has increased on the Sixers’ Nick Nurse and the Cavaliers’ Kenny Atkinson following Sunday’s playoff losses.
- The Lakers and Timberwolves have experienced terrible injury luck, with L.A. losing Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves before its series started and Minnesota seeing Donte DiVincenzo and Anthony Edwards both suffer significant injuries in Saturday’s game. Amick praises the foresight of the Lakers’ Rob Pelinka and the Wolves’ Tim Connelly for adding depth that gives their teams a chance to survive those losses. Pelinka signed Marcus Smart last summer following a buyout with Washington, then acquired Luke Kennard from Atlanta in February. Connelly made possibly the best deal at this year’s deadline, getting Ayo Dosunmu from Chicago in exchange for two little-used players and a package of second-round picks.
Knicks Notes: Towns, Hart, Brunson, McBride
The Knicks struggled to put four straight quarters of high-level offense together in Games 2 and 3 of their series against the Hawks. In Game 4, they turned to Karl-Anthony Towns as the lead man, and it may have saved their season, Kristian Winfield writes for the New York Daily News. The Knicks have had issues getting the talented center involved at times, but they made a clear effort to do so on Saturday.
The six-time All-Star had his first playoff triple-double with 20 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists. His passing from the top of the key opened up the game for the Knicks, as did the off-ball play designs from head coach Mike Brown, which got players like OG Anunoby shot after shot inside, most of which were courtesy of Towns.
“[Towns] is a special talent. He can do it all. And I know if I get open, he’ll find me,” Anunoby said after the game, per Winfield. “No matter how tight the window is, he’ll be able to find it. It’s amazing playing with a player like him.”
Brown said that the decision to play through Towns was a result of being willing to adjust quickly, given the magnitude of the game, according to Stefan Bondy of the New York Post.
“We just switched our early offense,” Brown said. “So with us switching our early offense up the way we did, the ball went to his hands quite a bit.”
We have more from the Knicks:
- Josh Hart is best known for his rebounding and hustle plays, but it’s his defensive versatility that has allowed New York to come back and tie their first-round series with the Hawks, Jared Schwartz writes for the New York Post. Hart split his time guarding CJ McCollum, who has been picking apart the Knicks’ defense for much of the series, and Jalen Johnson. He was similarly effective on both players, and his intensity helped set the tone for New York’s perimeter defense, which held the Hawks to 24.4% shooting from deep and converted 19 Atlanta turnovers into 21 points. “Josh was really good on the ball,” Brown said. “Josh is a guy with quick feet, he’s strong and when he gets locked in, he’s locked in. His defensive activity, especially when he [pressures the ball], was fabulous [Saturday night]. Really, really good. And we needed all of it.”
- Another crucial part of the Knicks’ victory was finding a way to keep Jalen Brunson from being a target on defense. On Saturday, Brown was able to do that, Winfield writes. “We mix it up so Jalen is not always on [the ball-handler],” Brown said pregame. “When he is, we got to make sure we continue to mix up our defensive coverages.” Brunson also waved away concerns over the visible disagreement he had with his father, assistant coach Rick Brunson, simply saying, “That was two competitors,” per Schwartz.
- It’s been an inconsistent start to the playoffs for Miles McBride, who is still less than three months removed from undergoing sports hernia surgery. McBride has had some positive moments, especially late in games, but has made just one two-pointer and has yet to attempt a free throw. He’s not making excuses about his injury though, Bondy writes. “I expect a lot out of myself, more than anybody else, honestly. And I try not to listen to how I’m feeling day to day,” he said. “Because at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter; if I’m supposed to get a stop, I gotta get a stop. If I’m supposed to make a shot, I gotta make a shot. So I try not to think about it. Reality is, I’ve gotta go out there and perform.”
Knicks Notes: Brunson, Brown, Defense, Game 4, Robinson
Part of the pitch head coach Mike Brown made when he was hired by the Knicks last summer was instituting an offensive scheme that would allow star Jalen Brunson to get easier looks and be less ball-dominant. Through three playoff games, that has not been the case, and Brunson’s effectiveness on offense has suffered because of it, Jared Schwartz writes for the New York Post.
Part of that is due to a roster construction flaw that was always present but has been particularly noticeable in this series: the Knicks lack a second ball-handler who can get into the defense and create opportunities for teammates. Josh Hart is better at attacking an already-tilted defense, while players like OG Anunoby, Miles McBride, Landry Shamet, and Mikal Bridges are limited by a shaky handle and a lack of explosiveness with the ball. Karl-Anthony Towns is a good passer from a standstill but struggles to make reads on the move.
The Hawks also have a group of strong perimeter defenders, led by Dyson Daniels and Nickeil Alexander-Walker, who have hounded Brunson and made life difficult for him.
“We all have to be aggressive, not just to shoot the ball, but be aggressive to touch the paint [on drives],” Brown said. “And if you don’t have anything in the paint, you gotta spray it. We haven’t gone anywhere near our sprays that we’ve wanted to in these first three games.”
We have more from the Knicks:
- After two-and-a-half games of struggling to contain Hawks guard CJ McCollum, the Knicks seemed to find an answer by putting Hart on him in the second half of Game 3. Hart corralled the smaller McCollum, holding him to just 2-of-5 shooting, Schwartz writes. However, when they most needed to get a stop on the final play of the game, Brown went away from the strategy. Instead, he had the smaller McBride guard McCollum one-on-one with 16 seconds to go while up one point, while Hart defended the inbounds passer. McCollum was able to get free for a comfortable look that ultimately proved to be the game-winner. “I’m not happy with my contest,” McBride said. “He made the shot. I feel like if I maybe had bumped him earlier, but trying to get a feel for how the game was being called. I don’t want to put him at the free-throw line in a sense like that.”
- The Knicks are only down 2-1 in the series, but they’re viewing Game 4 as a must-win, Steve Popper writes for Newsday. “We’re playing for our lives,” McBride said. “I mean, it is a seven-game series and it’s the first to four, but it’s ticking away. We don’t want to leave it up to chance. We don’t want to say we wish we could have or we wish we would have done this different. We want to take every opportunity, every chance we can, and take advantage of it, be together as a team and figure it out.”
- Mitchell Robinson has been uncharacteristically absent for a team that relied on the backup big man to provide much of their identity and defensive backbone throughout the year. On Friday, Robinson’s trainer, Marcell Scott, took to Instagram to express frustration with Brown’s approach to the series, Schwartz writes in another New York Post story. “Knicks Coach Mike Brown is SCARED to get mad!!!” Scott wrote on his post. “He’s to [sic] nice of a guy to coach the New York Knicks!!! He would rather play OG at the 5, instead of [Towns] and Mitch at the 4 and 5. Nice guys finish last Coach!” Scott has been vocal about Robinson’s role on the team in the past, Schwartz notes, including a post in December urging Brown to get Robinson more involved in the offense. Brown has said throughout the series that he’s struggled to find the right matchups to unleash the defensive-minded big man, especially in lineups that include Towns.
Knicks Notes: Bridges, McBride, Robinson, Hart, Fouls
The Knicks‘ loss to the Hawks in Game 3 on Thursday was a team effort, but the most notable aspect was the performance of Mikal Bridges, who went scoreless in 20 minutes, with more turnovers (four) than steals, assists, rebounds, and points combined.
Head coach Mike Brown isn’t benching Bridges, but he came closer to doing so on Thursday, as he was replaced for most of the second half by Miles McBride, Vincent Goodwill writes for ESPN.
While McBride was one of the few Knicks hitting shots, Bridges looked out of sorts, lacking confidence or intentionality, writes Stefan Bondy of the New York Post. After the NBA’s iron man was benched two minutes into the third quarter, Brown put him back on the court to start the fourth quarter. His one attempt to make a play with the ball ended in a turnover, and he was pulled once again in favor of McBride.
“I’ve got to take it on the chin, handle it how I’m supposed to and be ready for the next one,” Bridges said. “You know, it’s going to suck. It is what it is. I’ve just got to be better to help my team out there.”
Determining whether to replace Bridges with McBride in the starting lineup will be a crucial decision, according to Ian Begley of SNY, who notes that the Knicks have been getting off to slow starts and says they can’t afford to do so in Game 4 on Saturday.
Brown isn’t committing to a change yet, but he’s also not ruling anything out, per James L. Edwards III at The Athletic. The Knicks’ coach told reporters on Friday that the lineup for Game 4 would be a game-time call.
We have more from the Knicks:
- New York has struggled to get backup center Mitchell Robinson involved in this series despite his importance to the team throughout the year. Brown hasn’t been able to find ways to use him, especially with Karl-Anthony Towns playing well, Andrew Crane writes for The Post. On Thursday, Robinson played just 11 minutes and finished the game with four rebounds. Crane notes it’s only the seventh game all year in which the big man recorded four or fewer boards. When asked what he was looking for in terms of using Towns and Robinson together, Brown said the two-big lineup “has to fit offensively and defensively over the course of a ball game,” per Begley (Twitter link), adding that it’s been hard to find the right matchups to roll it out against.
- Josh Hart also struggled on offense in Game 4, recording just two points on 1-of-9 shooting in 40 minutes. However, he has still managed to be the Knicks’ most important player through three games, Edwards writes. His defense on Jalen Johnson and CJ McCollum has been crucial for keeping the Knicks in a series they might otherwise be trailing 3-0, and he remains an elite rebounder, averaging 12.0 per contest through three games. If the Knicks are going to make it out of the first round, they’ll need even more from him, Edwards says. More importantly, they need the rest of the team to play with as much hustle and determination as their versatile, undersized forward.
- While a majority of the Knicks’ issues have been either self-inflicted or the result of the Hawks’ tough defense and shot-making, Brown is also frustrated with a lack of calls for his players as they drive to the basket. “When they close out hard, we gotta drive the basketball. I do think it’s a tough game for the officials to officiate,” Brown said. “But I know we got fouled on a few of the drives that didn’t get called. It’s tough to see 20-26 [free-throw discrepancy] in a one-possession game when you know for sure there were a couple of fouls that should’ve been called.”
Knicks Notes: Brown, Towns, Robinson, Shamet
Much of the discussion following the Knicks‘ loss to the Hawks in Game 2 revolved around coach Mike Brown‘s decisions regarding lineups and timeout usage. Asked ahead of Game 3 whether he’ll stick with his usual substitution patterns, Brown says he’s open to tweaking his rotation, Andrew Crane writes for the New York Post.
“Anything’s open to discussion offensively, defensively,” Brown said. “Maybe changing this defensively. Maybe changing that offensively. I’m comfortable with all of our guys playing, no matter who the five is out there.”
The Knicks’ players themselves say they’re fully confident in Brown’s adjustments, per Kristian Winfield of the New York Daily News, noting that it’s up to them to execute the game plan their coach lays out for them. Playing with pace and physicality are two points of emphasis among the coaching staff and the players.
“We [have to] get the ball faster, run on makes and misses,” said Jalen Brunson. “Just be who we are and don’t let things are not that important in this moment — it shouldn’t mean we’re not doing the things that we’re supposed to be doing.”
We have more Knicks notes:
- Karl-Anthony Towns took 12 shots in Game 2 and only two in the fourth quarter as the lead the Knicks had built slipped away. In a feature story for ESPN, Vincent Goodwill outlines how Brown and the coaching staff have struggled all season to maximize the star big man on offense but observes that it hasn’t impacted Towns’ desire to continue being a Knick. “He so badly wants things to work here,” a source close to Towns tells ESPN. “He wants to be a Knick for life.”
- Mitchell Robinson isn’t angry about the Hawks employing intentional fouls as a way to force him off the floor. He views it as a sign of respect, Winfield writes. “I mean, yeah, I feel like they want to get me off the court, so I know I’m threatening they ass and it be like that,” Robinson said. Despite being just 2-for-6 from the line through two games, Robinson believes that the work he puts in to practice his free throws will pay off in the end. “Sometimes, it go in; sometimes, it don’t,” he said. “Confidence still high, so still ready to go.” Brown is trying to figure out how to get the defensive-minded center more minutes, but he says it’s been difficult because the two-big lineups with Towns haven’t been effective so far this series, Ian Begley of SNY notes (via Twitter).
- The Knicks have praised Landry Shamet‘s plug-and-play ability all year, but he hit a rough patch towards the end of the season and hasn’t found a way to break out of it so far in the playoffs, Jared Schwartz writes for the New York Post. Shamet shot just 1-for-7 from the field over the first two games of the series, with six of those seven attempts from beyond the arc. The Knicks have struggled to find a stable ball-handler off the bench, as both Shamet and Miles McBride are more comfortable off the ball and have difficulty breaking down defenses off the dribble. Those two were supposed to be New York’s top guard depth, but neither has been able to get going, forcing Brown to turn to Jose Alvarado instead as a source of energy and ball-handling.
Knicks Notes: Game 2 Collapse, Towns, Alvarado, Robinson, More
Karl-Anthony Towns was the Knicks‘ second-leading scorer in Game 2 of their first-round series against Atlanta, with 18 points, but he was essentially a non-factor during the fourth quarter of their 107-106 loss, Zach Braziller of the New York Post notes.
Towns attempted just two shots during those 12 minutes as the Knicks squandered a 12-point lead. He scored 25 points and dished out four assists in the Game 1 victory.
“The opportunity just didn’t come around shooting,” he said after Monday’s loss. “But at the end of the day, I trust everybody in this locker room to shoot the ball. The opportunities weren’t available for me in the fourth and it was fine.”
Jalen Brunson dominated the ball during much of that final quarter as New York scored just 15 points and shot 22.7% from the floor.
“We could’ve flowed better, for sure. We could’ve done that,” Towns said. “But at the end of the day, I have to watch the tape. When you’re so into the game, it’s hard to give a great assessment about it.”
Here’s more on the Knicks:
- Jose Alvarado was a bright spot in the loss, according to Braziller. The reserve guard provided three assists, two rebounds and pesky defense in his nine-minute stint. Mitchell Robinson‘s performance was also a positive, in Braziller’s view. The big man notched 13 points, seven rebounds, a steal and a block in 18 minutes.
- Lay the blame for the late collapse on coach Mike Brown, Brunson and OG Anunoby, Stefan Bondy of the New York Post opines. Brown mismanaged his timeouts, Brunson got lit up by CJ McCollum and Anunoby committed a crucial turnover and missed two late free throws.
- James Edwards III of The Athletic blames the loss largely on Brown, not only for the timeout issues but for his rotations. Brunson and Towns were both on the bench when the fourth quarter started and Atlanta made its run. Brown stood by that decision. “We’ve played that lineup quite a bit at the end of the season,” Brown said. “That lineup’s been pretty good. We weren’t good tonight and we turned the ball over a few too many times during that period. But we had opportunities where our starters were in, and we were up eight to 10 [points] and Atlanta closed it. So I wouldn’t just say that specific lineup caused it.”
Knicks/Hawks Notes: Robinson, Anunoby, Okongwu, Gueye
The Hawks attempted to take Mitchell Robinson out of the equation for the Knicks in Game 1 by employing Hack-A-Mitch, intentionally fouling him to send him to the free throw line. After going 1-for-4 from the line, Robinson was pulled from the game after 15 minutes without having recorded a single offensive rebound.
Discussing how he will approach Robinson’s minutes in Monday’s Game 2, Knicks coach Mike Brown said that the team wasn’t overreacting to the strategy.
“We’ll probably just use a normal rotation, and at the end of the day, he’s gonna get an opportunity, and we’re confident that he’ll knock ’em down,” Brown said. “If we need to make a change, we feel confident with Josh [Hart] going and playing the center. Especially the way we’re playing, it allows us to switch the pick and roll and all that other stuff, so we’re okay with them fouling Mitch if that’s what they want to do.”
Robinson’s rim protection and ability to generate extra possessions on the offensive glass have been a huge part of the Knicks’ success over the last few years.
Brown adds that in some ways, the intentional fouling strategy can work in New York’s favor.
“If they want to start fouling him, that’ll get us closer to the bonus, and so that’s the time for us to go back to him,” he said, according to Kristian Winfield of the New York Daily News.
The Knicks had 30 free throw attempts against 19 for the Hawks in Game 1, some of which had to do with Atlanta putting itself into the bonus to send Robinson to the line.
We have more from the Knicks/Hawks series:
- OG Anunoby is available to play for the Knicks on Monday, James L. Edwards III notes (via Twitter). The 6’8″ wing, who came in 10th in Defensive Player of the Year voting, was a crucial part of New York’s Game 1 victory, scoring 18 points in 38 minutes despite missing some time in the second half after twisting his ankle.
- Onyeka Okongwu is available for the Hawks, per Stefan Bondy of the New York Post (Twitter link), after previously being listed as questionable due to knee inflammation. Okongwu was productive in his 37 minutes in Game 1, scoring 19 points and hitting four of his six three-pointers. His presence is a welcome sight for the Hawks, who are thin at the center position as a result of Jock Landale‘s ankle injury.
- Due to the Hawks‘ aforementioned frontcourt depth – or lack thereof – the team turned to Mouhamed Gueye as their primary backup center behind Okongwu in Game 1, and he managed to hold his own, Lauren Williams writes for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. While Gueye didn’t put up impressive box score numbers, he didn’t allow Karl-Anthony Towns to bully him down low. With Okongwu dealing with knee inflammation, the Hawks may need Gueye to play more than the 10.5 minutes he saw on Saturday, Williams observes.
Victor Wembanyama Named Defensive Player Of The Year
Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama has been named the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year for the 2025/26 season, the league announced on Monday (Twitter link). He’s the youngest player in league history to win the award, tweets Shams Charania of ESPN, and is the first player to win it in a unanimous vote, tweets Jared Weiss of The Athletic.
Wembanyama, who received all 100 first-place votes, led the NBA in total blocked shots (197) and blocks per game (3.1) by a significant margin and ranked second in defensive rebounds per game (11.5) despite playing just 29.2 minutes per night. His 28.5% defensive rebounding percentage was the highest mark in the league among qualified players.
The Spurs star also limited opponents to a 42.0% field goal percentage and anchored the NBA’s third-best defense. San Antonio allowed 103.6 points per 100 possessions when Wembanyama was on the court and gave up 113.7 points per 100 possessions when he sat.
Wembanyama was the favorite to earn Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2024/25, but a blood clot prematurely ended his season in February, preventing him playing in the 65 games necessary to qualify for consideration. He missed some time this year due to health issues, but met the 65-game criteria during the final week of the regular season.
Thunder big man Chet Holmgren, who previously finished second in Rookie of the Year voting to Wembanyama in 2023/24, once again finished as the runner-up to his conference rival for a major award — he earned the second-most votes for Defensive Player of the Year, including 76 second-place votes and 11 for third place. Holmgren ranked second in the NBA in blocks per game (1.9) and was the primary interior presence on a Thunder team that had the league’s No. 1 defensive rating (106.5).
Pistons wing Ausar Thompson was the top Defensive Player of the Year vote-getter among perimeter players, coming in third behind Wembanyama and Holmgren with nine second-place votes and 33 third-place votes. Thompson ranked first in the NBA in steals per game (2.0) despite playing fewer minutes per contest (26.0) than the seven players who ranked right behind him in that category. Detroit was sandwiched between OKC and San Antonio with the league’s second-best defensive rating (108.9).
A total of 13 players showed up on at least one Defensive Player of the Year ballot, with Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert and Raptors forward Scottie Barnes rounding out the top five, in that order.
Celtics guard Derrick White, Thunder guard Cason Wallace, Rockets guard Amen Thompson, Hawks guard Dyson Daniels, and Knicks forward OG Anunoby each received multiple votes, while Pistons center Jalen Duren, Warriors forward Draymond Green, and Heat big man Bam Adebayo showed up on one ballot apiece.
The full results can be viewed here (via Twitter).
While Defensive Player of the Year honors can, in some cases, ensure that a player qualifies for a higher maximum salary on his next contract, that won’t be the case for Wembanyama despite the fact that he’ll likely sign a maximum-salary rookie extension with the Spurs during the coming offseason. The Rose Rule criteria will require him to win MVP or DPOY or simply earn an All-NBA spot in 2026/27 in order to qualify for a contract that starts at 30% of the ’27/28 cap (instead of 25%).
2026 NBA Draft Tiebreaker Results
Tiebreakers among teams with identical regular-season records were broken on Monday through random drawings to determine the order for this year’s draft prior to the lottery.
The NBA has posted a video of the tiebreaking procedure (Twitter link). The results are as follows, according to a press release from the league (Twitter link):
- Utah Jazz (No. 4) over Sacramento Kings (No. 5)
- The Jazz’s pick will land in the top eight, meaning their obligation to the Thunder will be extinguished.
- New Orleans Pelicans (No. 7) over Dallas Mavericks (No. 8)
- The Pelicans will get one more lottery ball combination (out of 1,000) than the Mavericks.
- The Pelicans’ pick will be sent to the Hawks (if it’s more favorable than Milwaukee’s) or Bucks (if it’s not).
- Phoenix Suns (No. 16) over Philadelphia 76ers (No. 17) over Orlando Magic (No. 18)
- The Suns’ pick will be sent to the Grizzlies.
- The Sixers’ pick will be sent to the Thunder.
- The Magic’s pick will be sent to the Hornets.
- Toronto Raptors (No. 19) over Atlanta Hawks (No. 20)
- The Hawks’ pick will be sent to the Spurs.
- Houston Rockets (No. 22) over Cleveland Cavaliers (No. 23)
- The Rockets’ pick will be sent to the Sixers.
- The Cavaliers’ pick will be sent to the Hawks.
- New York Knicks (No. 24) over Los Angeles Lakers (No. 25)
While the tiebreaker winner will pick ahead of the loser(s) in the first round, that order will be flipped in the second round.
For instance, the Magic’s second-round pick will be at No. 46, followed by the Sixers’ pick (traded to Phoenix) at No. 47, and the Suns’ second-rounder (traded to the Mavericks) at No. 48 — that’s the opposite of their order in the first round.
For lottery teams that finished with identical records, the second-round order is still to be determined depending on the lottery results.
For example, if the Jazz’s first-round pick stays at No. 4 and the Kings’ first-rounder stays at No. 5, Sacramento’s second-round pick would be at No. 34 and Utah’s (traded to San Antonio) would be at No. 35. But if the Kings win the No. 1 overall pick on lottery night, moving ahead of Utah in the first round, then the Jazz’s second-round pick (to San Antonio) would be No. 34, while Sacramento would move down to No. 35.
We’ll publish the full lottery odds and pre-lottery draft order for 2026 later today.
Knicks Notes: Anunoby, Towns, Robinson, Hart
Knicks wing OG Anunoby (left ankle sprain) is probable to play in Game 2 against the Hawks on Monday, New York Post’s Stefan Bondy reports (via Twitter). According to head coach Mike Brown, the two-way wing went through practice on Sunday.
Anunoby left Game 1 in the second half after aggravating a preexisting ankle injury but was able to return to play. He finished the game with 18 points and eight rebounds while playing 38 minutes in the win.
“He came over to the bench and asked me if I could do (the spiritual healing) for his ankle; then he sat over there for a second, came back in the game and finished the game,” said teammate Jordan Clarkson, according to SNY’s Ian Begley. “Like I said, we need him on the floor so whatever I gotta do to keep it going… sprinkle a little magic on him.”
Anunoby has proven himself worthy of the Knicks’ investment in him, and nights like Saturday illustrate why, according to Begley (Twitter video link).
We have more from the Knicks:
- Hawks head coach Quin Snyder called Karl-Anthony Towns a mismatch for his team’s big man rotation, Kristian Winfield writes for the New York Daily News. “It’s a little bit of pick your poison, you know,” Snyder said. “How do you handle him on the post with a mismatch? Do you just guard him? How do you handle pick and roll? How do you handle him and Brunson on pick a roll? I think for us to be prepared for all those situations, you can adjust every time down the court.” Onyeka Okongwu did a solid job of guarding Towns in the first half, despite giving up a good amount of size, but Towns eventually overwhelmed the team, which is thin at center after the loss of Jock Landale, finishing the game with 25 points, eight rebounds, and three blocks. Mike Vaccaro of the New York Post called it “the full KAT experience.”
- While Snyder struggled to figure out how to contain Towns, his approach to containing Mitchell Robinson by resorting to Hack-A-Mitch limited the crucial reserve to just 15 minutes, Peter Sblendorio writes for the Daily News. Robinson went 1-for-4 from the free throw line, and, crucially, didn’t record an offensive rebound. Robinson played 60 games this season and failed to get on the offensive glass just twice.
- Despite heavily investing in defensive-minded wings, the Knicks relied on 6’4″ Josh Hart to take the primary defensive assignment on Hawks star Jalen Johnson in Game 1. Hart limited Johnson as effectively in Saturday’s win as he did during their final regular season matchup, Steve Popper writes for Newsday (subscriber link). “One of the things Jalen is really good at is the pick-and-roll game and he does a great job rejecting screens and making it hard to anybody playing the pick-and-roll game,” Brown said. “So we just wanted to see if we can cause a little confusion. Just as much as putting Josh on Jalen, it’s OG on Okongwu … You’re not gonna stop those two guys, they’re gonna do what they do, but you hope to temper them a little bit or at least have a chance to control it a little bit.”