No official announcement has been made on the status of OG Anunoby, but he’s back to being a full participant in practice and looks like he’ll be ready when the Eastern Conference finals start on Tuesday, Kristian Winfield of The New York Daily News writes in a subscriber-only piece.
Anunoby, who didn’t return in the second-round sweep of Philadelphia after straining his right hamstring in Game 2, met with reporters after Saturday’s practice and indicated that the injury was relatively mild.
“It wasn’t like the previous ones, for sure,” Anunoby said. “So, it was better than before.”
He was referring to a left hamstring strain in 2024 that knocked him out of the Eastern Conference finals against Indiana. He hurt the same hamstring again in November and was sidelined for nine games.
“I never think about the past. Just dealing with it in the moment,” Anunoby added. “It didn’t feel as bad as it had in the past when it happened.”
The latest injury occurred in the final minutes of New York’s Game 2 victory on May 6. Anunoby was listed as questionable for Games 3 and 4 before being eventually being downgraded to out. He did some work at Wednesday’s practice and was able to participate fully on Friday and Saturday.
“He’s been back. He looks good to me,” Mikal Bridges said. “So I think maybe the crowd, maybe the fans and media worried a little bit more, but I know how OG works and how his body is. I think he’ll be all right.”
Anunoby has played an important role in the Knicks’ postseason dominance, averaging 21.4 points and 7.5 rebounds in eight games before the injury while shooting 61.9% from the field and 53.8% from three-point range. Miles McBride took his place in the starting lineup for the past two games.
The Knicks have been enjoying some rest and preparing for the next round since finishing off their sweep, but they won’t know their opponent until the conclusion of Sunday night’s Game 7 between Cleveland and Detroit.
“I think everyone’s excited for the games to start, so just letting the other series play out,” Anunoby said. “So if it was tomorrow — it’s going to be Tuesday now — just be ready whenever it is.”