OG Anunoby Explains What Makes Knicks' Defense So Special

The offense got most of the attention when the New York Knicks beat the Chicago Bulls 135-105 on Wednesday night, but forward OG Anunoby wanted to talk about the other end of the floor.

New York led 84-52 at halftime, and guard Jalen Brunson led the way with 33 points in 28 minutes.

Center Karl-Anthony Towns added 17 points and 12 rebounds while making all five of his shots, and Anunoby finished with 18 points, five rebounds and three steals, getting 11 of his points at the free-throw line.

The win pushed the Knicks to 4-4 with two straight victories, and their defense is the biggest reason for the turnaround.

When Anunoby was asked in a postgame interview what has made the defense so good, he kept his answer short.

"Just a lot of communication," Anunoby said.

He went on to credit the coaching staff by name, including defensive coordinator Brendan O'Connor, who he called BOC, and said the coaches do a great job telling the players what they need to do before the players go out and carry it out on the court.

Head coach Mike Brown said last season that he wanted his assistants to have a voice during games, and Anunoby's answer shows the players are listening to them.

The Knicks are allowing 105.1 points per game, which ranks second in the NBA behind only the Detroit Pistons at 101.8.

That number looks even better next to how the season started, because New York opened 0-3 and was 2-4 after six games, when the whole group looked out of sync on both ends.

Anunoby has been a big part of the fix, averaging 16.6 points and 1.1 steals through eight games, and I think his size and length on the wing are what let this defense take away so much.

The Bulls did put up 31 points in the second quarter, but New York never let the game get close after that.

The Knicks did all of this without forward Josh Hart, who missed the game with ankle soreness.

Getting Hart back would give Brown another tough defender to throw at opposing wings, which should only help a group that is already playing well.

Up next is a trip to Cleveland on Saturday to face the Cavaliers, and that will be a better measuring stick than a Bulls team that has now lost six straight.

Brunson talked about the team's hot start after the win, and the defense is the part I trust most.

This is the biggest takeaway from the win for me.

The Knicks have the scorers to put up big numbers on any night, but the reason they have turned their season around is that they finally look connected on defense, which is exactly what Anunoby described.

Offense comes and goes over a long season, while a defense built on talking and trusting the coaches usually sticks.

If Anunoby and this group keep it up, I expect the Knicks to climb out of the middle of the East standings soon.