The Knicks are going to have to be cautious with this one.
The New York Knicks beat the Philadelphia 76ers 108-102 on Wednesday to go up 2-0 in their second-round series, and most teams would be feeling pretty good right now.
The Knicks are not most teams this week.
OG Anunoby has been diagnosed with a right hamstring strain and is listed as day to day, leaving his availability for Game 3 on Friday in Philadelphia up in the air.
Anunoby grabbed the back of his right leg on a cut toward the basket with just over two minutes left in the fourth quarter, then signaled to the bench and did not return.
He was not seen in the locker room afterward, and Mike Brown had nothing to offer postgame.
"It looked like he was hopping, but I don't know anything," Brown said.
What Anunoby Means To These Knicks
Before he went down, Anunoby was having one of the best games of his postseason.
He finished with 24 points, five rebounds and four steals, and his plus-12 was the best mark on the team.
The 28-year-old has been averaging 21.4 points per game this postseason while shooting 62 percent from the field and 53.8% from three, numbers that look nothing like his regular season averages of 17.1 points and 2.1 steals per game.
Without him, the Knicks lose their best wing defender and the most consistent second option behind Jalen Brunson, who had 26 points and six assists in Game 2.
Mikal Bridges and Miles McBride would take on bigger roles, and McBride is the likely starter if Anunoby cannot go Friday.
This Has Happened Before
Knicks fans have seen this exact movie.
In the 2024 Eastern Conference semifinals against the Indiana Pacers, Anunoby went down with a hamstring injury in Game 2 while New York held a 2-0 lead.
He tried to come back for Game 7 but was clearly limited, and the Knicks could not hold on.
He also missed three weeks earlier this season with a left hamstring strain, so the worry goes well beyond just one game.
Far From Over
Brown also pointed out the free throw gap after Game 2.
Philadelphia shot 62 combined free throws through two games while the Knicks attempted just 42, and that 20-attempt difference nearly caught up to them Wednesday.
"It's tough to win a ballgame if you're getting beat from the free throw line like that vs. a really good team," Brown said. "We've got to look at every aspect of it."
The 76ers competed without Joel Embiid in Game 2 and still led at halftime.
They finished the regular season 45-37 after rallying from a 3-1 hole against Boston in the first round, and Brown has refused to treat them like a typical seventh seed.
Losing Anunoby on the road would test that respect.
The Knicks went 53-29, but going to Philadelphia without their best two-way player is not how they planned to spend this weekend.