OG Anunoby Stats: How did the Knicks star fare against Atlanta Hawks? (Dec. 11)
OG Anunoby and the New York Knicks hosted the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday in the quarterfinal of the Emirates NBA Cup. The winner will meet the Milwaukee Bucks in the semifinals in Las Vegas.
The star forward didn’t have his offense going in the first half. He had eight points on 3-for-8 shooting and missed his four attempts from deep. Anunoby added two rebounds, one assist, one steal and one block.
Anunoby’s contribution didn’t jump out of the box score, but he had a big impact on the Knicks’ 54-47 lead. He guarded every position when forced to switch. The former Toronto Raptor jostled with Clint Capela under the boards, shadowed Jalen Johnson when asked and even chased Trae Young around. The Knicks need more of the same from him to advance to the next round of the NBA Cup.
OG Anunoby added five more points in the third quarter but still didn't have his shooting touch. Anunoby's defense, like the rest of his teammates, stuttered against the Atlanta Hawks' onslaught. They gave up 34 points after allowing 47 in two quarters.
Anunoby still couldn't get his offense going in the final period. He played better defense and helped secure the boards, but the New York Knicks lost at home 108-100.
Atlanta Hawks outmuscle OG Anunoby and New York Knicks on the boards
The New York Knicks and Atlanta Hawks were evenly matched on Wednesday, except in offensive rebounding. Atlanta battled to grab 22 off the offensive glass while New York pulled down 12. The Hawks' relentless pursuit of 50/50 balls off missed shots was the biggest difference.
Karl-Anthony Towns snared 19 rebounds while OG Anunoby, undersized at power forward, contributed six. Josh Hart, who sometimes takes over Anunoby, added eight.
The Hawks' Clint Capela and Jalen Johnson, the starting big men, combined for 28 rebounds, including eight on the offensive glass. Onyeka Okongwu had 11 boards, five coming from Atlanta's missed shots. The tide turned in the third quarter when the visitors got multiple extra shots because of their offensive rebounding.