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New York Knicks forward OG Anunoby reacts during a playoff game as sports doctor Jesse Morse warned the team may be “playing with fire” if Anunoby attempts to return quickly from his hamstring injury for Game 3.

Will the New York Knicks let OG Anunoby play Game 3 with a hamstring injury? A noted sports doctor said Thursday that rushing the star back from his hamstring strain is “playing with fire.”

Anunoby exited New York’s 108-102 Game 2 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers with roughly 2 1/2 minutes remaining after pulling up awkwardly on a cut to the basket, leaving the Knicks’ 2-0 series lead in jeopardy of being defended without their most important two-way weapon. Morse cautioned that while there remains optimism Anunoby may have suffered only a mild “tweak,” even a grade 1 hamstring strain could sideline him for the remainder of the series, while a more serious tear could threaten the rest of his postseason entirely.

Anunoby Hamstring Warnings Issued

Before ESPN’s Shams Charania confirmed the right hamstring strain diagnosis Thursday, NBA insider Brian Windhorst braced Knicks fans for a potentially difficult road ahead. Appearing on ESPN’s Get Up, Windhorst said the results of an MRI would be decisive and that the news might not be good.

“Maybe it’ll all turn out OK, we’re not going to make any assumptions,” Windhorst said, as quoted by For The Win‘s Wajih AlBaroudi. “But there’s a possibility that the Knicks may not have him for a while.”

Sports medicine physician Dr. Jesse Morse echoed that caution on X (formerly Twitter). A grade 1 strain would likely end Anunoby’s participation in the second round, while a grade 2 partial tear, comparable to the injury that has sidelined Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic for over a month, would almost certainly close out his entire postseason, according to Morse.

In a follow-up post, Morse sounded even more concerned. Responding to reports that the Knicks were optimistic that Anunoby could play Game 3 against the Philadelphia 76ers, Morse warned that even if the injury falls short of a full grade 1 strain, the Knicks are “still playing with fire” by entertaining a rapid return.

Knicks Optimism Clashes With Experts’ Caution

Inside the organization, the mood was considerably more upbeat. SNY’s Ian Begley reported genuine confidence in the locker room, where the feeling is that Anunoby will indeed suit up for Game 3 on Friday, or at least Game 4 on Sunday in Philadelphia, according to Yahoo Sports. A source described the hamstring strain to New York Post beat writer Stefan Bondy as “very, very minor,” with no prolonged absence anticipated.

Through Game 2, Anunoby was averaging more than 21 points and nearly eight rebounds per game while ranking tied for the best plus-minus of any player in the entire 2026 postseason, per Yahoo Sports‘ Dan Devine. Against the 76ers in Game 2 alone, he posted 24 points, five rebounds, and four steals before the injury ended his night.

Anunoby also suffered a hamstring injury in Game 2 of the 2024 Eastern Conference semifinals against the Indiana Pacers, again with the Knicks holding a 2-0 lead. New York ultimately collapsed, dropping the series in seven games, as Sports Illustrated‘s Brian Giuffra recounted. The series lead is identical now. So is the injury. The optimism inside the locker room is real, but so are the calls for caution.