OG Anunoby was diagnosed with a right hamstring strain on May 7 and was listed as day to day after leaving New York’s 108-102 Game 2 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers late in the fourth quarter. He went out with 2:31 to play on May 6 and did not return to the bench for the rest of the game.
The injury matters because Anunoby has been central to New York’s early postseason push, and the Knicks held a 2-0 lead over Philadelphia in the conference semifinals when he got hurt. He was the primary defender on Paul George in Game 2, part of a stretch in which New York asked him to carry heavy two-way minutes while the series tightened in the fourth quarter.
Before the injury, Anunoby had been playing the best basketball of his nine-year career. He averaged 16.7 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 67 games this season, then surged to 23.2 points and 7.3 rebounds over New York’s last six games, including May 6. He also totaled 12 steals and eight blocks in that span, a run that helped explain why his absence would be felt well beyond the box score.
There is no clean substitute for what he has been doing, and that is the problem for New York if the hamstring keeps him out. Mikal Bridges put it bluntly after the injury with a simple message: “Next man up.” The Knicks can try different combinations with Josh Hart, Miles McBride, Jose Alvarado, Jordan Clarkson or Landry Shamet, but none of them replaces Anunoby’s size, length and recent production in one piece.
For now, the immediate answer to is og anunoby playing tonight depends on how a day-to-day hamstring strain responds over the next stretch. The broader reality is clearer: New York can survive a short absence, but if this lingers, it changes the shape of a series the Knicks had already put under pressure.
