The New York Knicks ruled forward OG Anunoby out for the remainder of Saturday’s 128-112 loss to the visiting Los Angeles Lakers after he left the contest with a right foot sprain in the third period.
Anunoby suffered the injury on a transition play, in which he caught the ball at the 3-point line then appeared to plant his right foot awkwardly, causing him to stumble over without anyone making contact with him. Coach Tom Thibodeau immediately called a timeout, both to give the wing a chance to recover and to preserve New York’s possession.
The Madison Square Garden crowd went quiet immediately after Anunoby tumbled over and teammate Karl-Anthony Towns checked on him.
Anunoby had left the Knicks’ bench area for an extended amount of time during the second quarter before returning from the tunnel area to rejoin his teammates just before halftime. He didn’t play for the last six minutes of the first half; a stretch in which the medical staff was examining him, according to Thibodeau.
“He went to get checked for something at the end of the half,” Thibodeau said following the loss. He added that Anunoby got X-rays, and that the tests were negative. He wasn’t sure whether an MRI had been performed yet.
Anunoby, who suffered a hamstring injury in last season’s Eastern Conference semifinals and hasn’t logged more than 70 games in a season since his rookie year in 2017-18, agreed to a five-year, $212 million deal to stay with New York during the offseason. A premier defender, the 27-year-old joined the Knicks last season via trade and made an immediate impact. Since the start of the 2023-24 campaign, New York has gone 52-19 with him in the lineup and just 30-29 without him.
“We’re obviously praying for the best, but I know as much as you guys do right now,” All-Star guard Jalen Brunson said. “He’s huge for our team, so we’re just praying for the best.”
If he were to miss considerable time with the injury, it would strain an already heavily taxed Knicks’ starting lineup. Heading into Saturday’s contest, Mikal Bridges, Josh Hart and Anunoby ranked first, second and third in the league, respectively, in total minutes played, while star guard Jalen Brunson ranked sixth.
