Fittingly, it was OG Anunoby’s reverse dunk that put the icing on the cake.
On opening night, the Knicks’ quietest player made the loudest impact.
That dunk — with 34.7 seconds left — gave the Knicks a 10-point lead, all but sealing their 119-111 win over the Cavaliers at Madison Square Garden. Anunoby scored the Knicks’ final four points.
Those four points meant he surpassed Jalen Brunson on the night, finishing with a team-high 24 points on 9-for-17 shooting from the field and 4-for-9 shooting from 3-point range.
But his impact went far beyond his offensive output.
Before the season, he announced his long-standing intentions to win Defensive Player of the Year and be named to the All-Defensive First Team.
He has felt overlooked in both in the past. He started the season backing up his words.
“OG was a monster,” coach Mike Brown said. “He was our defensive player of the game. I think he had six or seven deflections. He was guarding a lot of different people, so he saw a lot of different types of players tonight. He did a great job.”
“Playing with OG and knowing [he’s guarding the] corner on the ball side so he could take the ball from someone, it’s crazy,” Mikal Bridges said. “He’s got that talent.”
Anunoby also dominated the glass, recording 14 rebounds. It corresponded to a career high.
After being told that Brown called him a “monster,” his response was predictably subdued.
“I just try to play hard,” Anunoby said. “Do everything you can to help the team win.”
Brown’s offensive system is designed to lighten the load on Brunson and get the Knicks’ peripheral scorers involved. When Brunson missed time last year, Anunoby often carried the scoring load. But when Brunson was healthy, Anunoby would sometimes get frozen.
Wednesday was a promising sign of his sustained involvement in the offensive.
“The game tells you what to do,” Anunoby said. “Every game will be different, but as we get more and more comfortable, it will get better.”
#Anunoby #Knicks #win #Monster #game