OG Anunoby leads Knicks' rout of Trail Blazers
OG Anunoby of the Knicks hits a three-point shot in the first half against the Trail Blazers at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday. Credit: Jim McIsaac
O-G! O-G! O-G!
The telltale chant rang out loud and clear at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night when OG Anunoby stepped to the free-throw line in the second quarter of the Knicks’ 112-84 win over the Portland Trail Blazers.
In the span of less than two weeks, Knicks fans have gone from somewhat underwhelmed to decidedly overjoyed by their team’s decision to trade for the small forward from Toronto.
And who can blame them? With the win over Portland, the Knicks are now 5-0 since Anunoby joined the team.
Tuesday night was his best game offensively, with 23 points, his most as a Knick. He set the tone of the game and won over the hearts of Knicks fans by scoring 16 in the first quarter as the Knicks opened up a 16-point lead that they would expand to 39 in the third quarter.
In 29 minutes of play, Anunoby shot 9-for-12 overall and was 4-or-6 from three-point range.
Six Knicks scored in double figures, with Julius Randle scoring 20 and Quentin Grimes and Miles McBride coming off the bench to score 17 and 16, respectively.
Anunoby’s addition has been so impactful that he has a plus-111 plus-minus rating in his five games with the Knicks. Anunoby said he noticed the appreciation from the fans when they began chanting his name.
“It was cool,” Anunoby said of the chants. “You know, really cool . . . It feels great, just really cool. Great fans. I love it here, I love the fans, it's awesome.”
When a reporter mentioned Anunoby’s incredible plus-minus rating before the game, coach Tom Thibodeau had to struggle to keep a straight face.
“If it continues at that level, I would obviously be very pleased,” Thibodeau said with a laugh. "When you come in and you’re in the middle of a season, you’re adjusting on the fly. It’s how quickly can you adapt and I told him I feel like he’s playing great just because of the impact he’s having when he’s on the floor.”
Anunoby’s previous high was 17 points against Minnesota in his first game in a Knicks uniform.
It’s on defense, however, where the team has felt his impact. Portland’s 84 points were a season low for a Knicks opponent. This marked the third time in the last five games that they have held an opponent to under 100 or fewer. For reference, Knicks opponents are scoring 112 points per game this season.
The Knicks (22-15) are now alone in fourth place in the Eastern Conference. Since the addition of Anunoby, they are starting to play like a team that has legitimate aspirations of challenging Boston, Milwaukee and Philadelphia, the elite three at the top of the conference.
This is not the first time the Knicks have been energized by a trade. The team went 9-0 last season after trading for Josh Hart at the deadline and finished the season on a 17-8 run.
Portland (10-26) entered the game with the Western Conference’s second-worst record, and the Knicks even before Anunoby joined them were doing what they needed to do against losing teams. The win over the Trail Blazers raised the Knicks’ record to 15-1 against teams with a sub-.500 record.
Thibodeau couldn’t be happier with the way Anunoby is playing, and he added that it was great to hear the fans appreciate him.
“For a guy like OG to come in and have the impact, he’s just learning and getting started,” Thibodeau said. “He’s made great contributions and not just on defense, and he’s just getting started.”
Barbara Barker is an award-winning columnist and features writer in the sports department at Newsday. She has covered sports in New York for more than 20 years.