New York Knicks forward OG Anunoby left Saturday night’s loss to the visiting Los Angeles Lakers after suffering a sprained right foot early in the third quarter.
Anunoby, who was open on the wing, took a pass from Jalen Brunson but grimaced and went to his left knee after planting his foot just beyond the 3-point line. He clutched his lower right leg and underhanded the ball back to Brunson as LeBron James, who was closing in on Anunoby, helped Anunoby up.
Coach Tom Thibodeau said after the game that initial X-rays on the foot were negative. He added that he wasn’t sure whether Anunoby would have an MRI exam.
Anunoby walked without assistance to the locker room. The Knicks announced later in the third quarter that he was out for the game.
Anunoby, who finished with 13 points and two blocked shots in nearly 17 minutes, has started all 49 games this season. The Knicks are in third place in the Eastern Conference and had a five-game winning streak snapped on Saturday.
Anunoby is averaging 16.4 points and 4.7 rebounds per game and is considered New York’s best defender.
Counting the playoffs last season, New York went 26-6 with Anunoby in the lineup following his acquisition from the Toronto Raptors on Dec. 30, 2023, but 14-17 when he was sidelined with elbow and hamstring injuries.
The Knicks won the first two games of their Eastern Conference semifinal series against the Indiana Pacers with Anunoby, but he missed the next four games with a strained left hamstring and was limited to four-plus minutes in a 130-109 loss in Game 7.
–Field Level Media
