Knicks' OG Anunoby back to practice and close to return
OG Anunoby drives past Paolo Banchero of the Magic at Madison Square Garden on Jan. 15. Credit: Jim McIsaac
The Knicks continue to wait for the return of OG Anunoby, who has been sidelined since Jan. 27, and it seems as if that return could come very soon.
Coach Tom Thibodeau said before Friday night’s 98-74 win over Orlando that Anunoby has returned to full practice and has encountered no issues as he recovers from the surgical procedure he had on Feb. 8 to remove loose fragments from his right elbow.
“He’s already [practiced],” Thibodeau said. “So it’s just how he responds the next day, the doctor clears him and then he can go. When the doctor clears him, he’s ready to go. That’s the final step.”
The Knicks had gone 12-2 with Anunoby in the lineup, but Friday night’s game against the Magic was the 17th he has missed since he was a late scratch in Charlotte on Jan. 29, when the pain in his elbow became too much to play through.
“I’m not going to speak for the doctor,” Thibodeau said when asked if Anunoby could return in the next few games (the Knicks will host Philadelphia on Sunday and Tuesday before heading out on a four-game West Coast trip. “He’s just got to keep doing [his recovery]. He’s doing everything now, so he’s good.”
Firing away
Donte DiVincenzo is moving up the ladder of Knicks single-season three-point field-goal leaders. He entered Friday with 197, good enough for fourth place. John Starks, with 217 in 1994-95, is next on the list and Julius Randle is second with 218 last season. Evan Fournier holds the franchise record with 241 in the 2021-22 season.
Missing Magic
The Magic were without Jalen Suggs, who was a late scratch with a right thigh contusion.
Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
