OG Anunoby didn’t have his best offensive showing on Saturday, but he was able to deliver on both ends of the court when the Knicks needed him the most.
Anunoby was tremendous down the stretch as Atlanta staged a late-game comeback.
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After he committed a goaltending violation to give the Hawks the lead with just 50 seconds remaining, the forward came down with a huge offensive rebound after Jalen Brunson missed the potential go-ahead bucket.
He took contact but battled for the lay-in, then completed the and-one to put the Knicks back in front.
Anunoby then locked up Trae Young coming out of a timeout on the other end, and he came up with a massive steal, and was sent right back to the line with just seven seconds remaining on the clock.
He, again, knocked them down easily to push the lead to three.
Mike Brown opted not to foul coming out of the timeout, but luckily things worked out, and it was Anunoby who reeled in the rebound on Nickeil Alexander-Walker’s missed three attempt to seal the victory.
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The forward chipped in nine of his 15 points and five rebounds in the back-and-forth final frame.
He also contributed five assists, three steals, and a block over 38 minutes.
While Anunoby struggled from the field (3-of-10), it was his perfect showing at the line (7-of-7) and stellar defense on Young and Jalen Johnson that made the difference.
Brown feels that type of play on a nightly basis could make the 28-year-old a potential All-Star.
“His size, his range, his strength, his athleticism, his feel,” the head coach said. “He can do so much out there, he just has to impose his will on the game every single play, and when he does there’s nothing he can’t do.
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“He didn’t shoot the ball well tonight, but he had a double-double, and to me that’s more than attainable by him on a night in and night out basis if he imposes his will on the game like he did tonight — down the clutch he was awesome for us.”