OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges are keeping the New York Knicks afloat as the team navigates the waters in the wake of Jalen Brunson’s injury.
Anunoby and Bridges look to continue their torrid play on Tuesday when the Knicks host the free-falling Philadelphia 76ers, who have lost eight in a row.
New York (47-27), which seeks a sweep of the four-game season series against Philadelphia (23-52), has won four of its last five games to reside comfortably in third place in the Eastern Conference.
Anunoby scored 28 points Sunday and Bridges matched that total by erupting for 21 in the second half, which helped the Knicks overcome a 14-point deficit in their 110-93 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers.
Anunoby has averaged 30.5 points over the last four contests while Bridges has contributed 23.8 points per game over his last five.
“I think (aggressiveness) is the biggest thing,” Josh Hart said of Anunoby’s recent play, per the New York Post. “Obviously he has the capability. He’s using his frame and gets to the basket. Using that physicality to finish or get to the line.
“So especially with guys injured, we need guys to be aggressive.
“And those two (Bridges and Anunoby) are really hooping right now.”
Hart has done some hooping of his own. He collected 14 points, nine assists and eight rebounds on Sunday.
“OG and Mikal are playing at a very, very high level. And Josh did all the things he normally does,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said.
New York improved to 7-5 since Brunson was sidelined by a sprained right ankle suffered March 6 against the Los Angeles Lakers. Brunson, however, provided a bit of sunshine by declaring a tentative timeline to return to game action.
“Realistically, I’m hoping to play before the playoffs,” Brunson said. “It’s good for me to get some game reps before we go into that type of stretch run, but the most important thing is trying to be 100 percent healthy.”
The Sixers are far from healthy at this stage of the season. If there’s any question to that, feel free to compare the number of players wearing street clothes as opposed to uniforms on a nightly basis.
That said, Philadelphia is receiving strong play from several players — particularly Quentin Grimes, who has averaged 27.9 points in his last 10 games while hitting 38 of 93 (40.9 percent) on 3-point attempts.
While Grimes sat out against Toronto on Sunday, Lonnie Walker IV scored 23 points on 10-of-18 shooting with seven assists in the Sixers’ 127-109 setback to the Raptors.
“Just being aggressive, playing with intent, understanding my capabilities and just playing with confidence,” Walker said. “I work too hard to not showcase my skills and do what I can do. So, I’m just letting my work honestly speak for itself; my actions speak more than my words.”
Jalen Hood-Schifino had 18 points on Sunday and Ricky Council IV added 17 to go along with 11 rebounds. The latter is averaging 14.3 points and 7.7 rebounds over his last three games.
–Field Level Media
