OG Anunoby’s injured hamstring prevented him from returning for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals — until he was needed most.
The Knicks’ best all-around performer through the bulk of the first two rounds was largely out of rhythm in his first game in 13 days, struggling to move with his customary speed and ferocity in Tuesday night’s series-opener.
But Anunoby — who reentered the game with the Knicks trailing 93-71 and 7:52 left in the fourth quarter — gutted his way to the finish line, contributing nine points, three rebounds and a steal in overtime of the Knicks’ 115-104 win over the Cavaliers at Madison Square Garden.
“We had to keep fighting,” Anunoby said. “We’re just mentally tough. We knew we had a run in us. Just play to the end.”
The Knicks’ second-round sweep of the 76ers — combined with Cleveland’s seven-game series against the Pistons — gave Anunoby much-needed time to recover, but the rest came with plenty of rust.
The sellout crowd welcomed back Anunoby with a deafening roar during the team’s introductions, understanding the importance of the team’s top defender to their title hopes — just two years removed from an Anunoby hamstring injury essentially flipping the outcome of their second-round loss to the Pacers — but the excitement quickly evaporated.
Anunoby missed the game’s first shot. His next attempt was off, as was his next 3-pointer, which went long for an airball.
He appeared shaky, his steps somewhat measured, just two weeks removed from a stretch in which he dominated both ends of the floor with explosiveness and decisiveness.
One drive ended with an awkward Euro step and a traveling call. Another possession ended with him fumbling a pass in the lane, as the Cavs turned an 11-point deficit into a 50-48 halftime lead.
Anunoby went to the break with two points, one rebound, one turnover and a team-worst minus-12 rating.Entering Tuesday, Anunoby was averaging 21.4 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.1 blocks and a team-best 1.9 steals in the playoffs, while shooting 61.9 percent from the field (a team-high 53.8 percent on 3-pointers).
“[There was] a little rust, but that was expected,” Anunoby said. “I knew that. As the game went on, the rust wore off.”
Anunoby remained largely invisible in the third quarter, but the game changed when Mike Brown asked him to return with less than eight minutes left and the outcome seemingly decided.
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Anunoby missed an open 3-pointer with the Knicks trailing by six with 1:41 left in regulation, but the 6-foot-7 forward then delivered the game’s biggest assist. He took a pass from Jalen Brunson at the top of the key, then swung it to Landry Shamet in the corner for the game-tying 3-pointer with 44.3 seconds remaining.
Anunoby, who finished with 13 points (shooting 2-for-9 from the field, including 1-for-6 from 3), five rebounds, two assists, one steal and a plus-15 rating in 34 minutes, hit seven free throws in overtime, plus a drive to put the Knicks up six with 2:56 remaining, sparking chants of “O-G” from the thousands who knew what his return could mean.
“I felt good,” Anunoby said. “Just continue to play hard, shoot shots and be aggressive. … I don’t think it was hesitancy [early]. Just as the game went on I felt more and more like myself.”
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