Six shot attempts isn’t nearly enough. Not for a player whose defense often feeds off his offense.
Neither were present in Game 3 for OG Anunoby — and the Knicks felt it.
The Knicks’ defensive stopper scored just two points on 1-of-6 shooting in 31 minutes during Saturday’s blowout loss to the Celtics. His lack of involvement on one end showed itself on the other, where Boston outscored New York by a game-high 31 points during Anunoby’s minutes on the floor.
And if the Knicks want to save this series, re-engaging their shutdown wing has to be a top priority. That starts with featuring him offensively — because six shot attempts simply won’t do for a player who has shown he can handle a far heavier load.
“Yeah, it’s very important,” said team captain Jalen Brunson of getting Anunoby involved early. “This is a big game for us, the next game. Everybody has to be ready to go from the jump.”
The numbers back it up. The Knicks went 22-10 during the regular season when Anunoby scored 20 or more points. When he scored 25+, they went 11-5. The eye test matches the math: when he’s engaged offensively, his defensive motor turns up a gear.
But in Game 3, that gear never kicked in. The Knicks fell into another early hole — this time by 20 — and never climbed out. Anunoby touched the ball just 19 times all night. Every other Knicks starter recorded at least 53 touches. Sixth man Miles McBride had more touches (23) in 12 fewer minutes.
Earlier in the year, Anunoby pointed to a lack of touches as a reason his energy dipped. When his teammates began finding him more often, his defensive impact rose. That pattern held again Saturday — except the ball never found him.
“I think part of the problem right now is we’re playing, we’re not getting stops and getting it up the floor fast enough,” said head coach Tom Thibodeau. “So I think we’ve gotta do that; we gotta get into transition, we gotta get stops and then in transition that’s usually when guys find their rhythm.”
That’s part of the equation. Anunoby often scores off leak-outs, kick-ahead passes, or catch-and-shoot threes in rhythm. But the Celtics didn’t give the Knicks those chances. Boston hit 20-of-40 from deep, crashed the glass, and set their defense — limiting the Knicks to just 93 points.
They also game-planned for Anunoby. They knew his shot profile, and they worked to cut off his easiest buckets.
“He’s a great offensive player and has the ability to impact the game in different ways, and if you do a breakdown of his points, you try to take away the ones you can control the most, which is the transition, the stuff off the offensive rebounds and the catch and shoot,” said Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla. “So we’ve gotta continue to do a great job on him and really all their guys ‘cause they all have a way to impact the game in different ways to help them go on runs.”
The Knicks believe speeding up the pace is key to reactivating Anunoby. But if the Celtics keep dictating tempo, those transition looks may never come. And if Anunoby’s defense is tied to his rhythm on offense, then it’s on the Knicks to create that rhythm — not wait for it to appear.
“I think just playing fast. The faster we play, the more randomness comes in-between and everybody comes off and gets a look,” said Mikal Bridges. “Sometimes slowing the ball down makes it difficult on us but it also goes with getting stops. That’s a big thing. We get stops, get in transition, anybody gets a shot. We’ve just gotta play fast and get stops where everybody gets more looks.”’
Knicks won’t stand much of a chance in the rest of this series if they can’t keep Payton Pritchard under control.
Pritchard — the NBA’s reigning Sixth Man of the Year — erupted for 23 points off the bench in Boston’s Game 3 blowout, shooting 5-of-10 from three and shifting the momentum with each make. He’s now averaging 15 points per game in the second-round series and has been Boston’s ultimate X-factor.
“He’s really talented and efficient, been knowing Payton since high school. I know how talented he’s been and how he’s worked his way up to be where he’s at and continues to keep going,” said Mikal Bridges. “A lot of talent, a lot of work — that’s one of the guys that I know puts a lot of work in and just trusts his game — but they’ve got so many guys that are really good that you gotta focus on everybody and make it tough for everybody. Can’t get [Payton] good looks or clean looks cause if he gets good looks, if he gets it going, he’s another guy that can affect the game, too.”
The Knicks have already been burned by Boston’s stars. But it’s Pritchard’s poise — and shooting — that’s quietly tilting the math.
“He’s a great all-around basketball player. Obviously, he can create his own shot, make plays for others. One thing that’s underrated is the way he offensive rebounds,” said Jalen Brunson. “He crashes really well. Gets second possessions, second chance points for his team. He’s just a very unselfish player that when it comes to doing whatever he can to help his team win. We just have to make sure we’re locked in.”
