New York Knicks Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Knicks’ Anunoby, Hart To Start In Game 7

May 19th, 2024 at 2:06pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

After being considered game-time decisions leading up to tip-off on Sunday, Knicks wings OG Anunoby and Josh Hart have officially been given the green light to play in today’s must-win Game 7 against the Pacers, sources inform Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).

Steve Popper of Newsday tweets that both players will start. The matchup tips off in a half-hour.

Anunoby has been dealing with a strained hamstring since Game 2 of the club’s now-knotted series against Indiana. When healthy, however, the 6’7″ forward has proven himself to be an essential component to New York’s attack.

The team has gone 26-5 in the regular season and the playoffs this year when Anunoby – a midseason arrival from Toronto – has played. Across his eight available postseason contests, Anunoby has averaged 16.4 points (on .495/.395/.615 shooting), 6.8 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.1 blocks and 1.0 steal in 40.0 minutes per game.

Hart incurred an abdominal strain in Game 6, and though he valiantly attempted to play through it, he proved relatively ineffective offensively. Prior to his injury, the Villanova alum had been New York’s immovable object on the hardwood, averaging 42.6 MPG in the postseason. He has averaged 14.9 PPG on .447/.400/.705 shooting, plus 11.8 RPG, 4.5 APG, 0.9 SPG and 0.8 BPG.

Anunoby’s injury history has cost him major playoff moments before, as when an appendectomy sidelined him during the Raptors’ run to the title in 2019.

Woj: OG Anunoby, Josh Hart “On Course To Play” In Game 7

May 19th, 2024 at 11:21am CST by Arthur Hill

OG Anunoby and Josh Hart are both “on course to play” when the Knicks host the Pacers in Game 7 this afternoon, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). Both players will participate in a walkthrough, and a final decision on their availability will be made close to game time.

Anunoby was upgraded to questionable Saturday evening after being sidelined since Game 2 with a strained hamstring. Wojnarowski previously reported that Anunoby was likely to miss Game 7, so his change in status came as a surprise.

Peter Botte of The New York Post notes that Anunoby has been considered day-to-day since suffering the injury 10 days ago. He hasn’t spoken to the media during that time, and coach Tom Thibodeau has been guarded in the information he has released, which includes telling reporters that Anunoby resumed “light workouts” prior to Game 5.

Botte points out that Anunoby, who is Leon Rose‘s most significant acquisition since taking over as team president, has been beset by injuries at inopportune times during his career. He averaged about 59 games per season during his last five years in Toronto and missed the team’s 2019 championship run after undergoing an appendectomy.

The Knicks have been a much better team with Anunoby in the lineup since he was acquired in a late-December trade. Including the playoffs, New York is 26-5 when Anunoby has played, which Botte notes would translate to 69 wins over a full season.

Hart, who has rarely left the court throughout the postseason, suffered an abdominal strain in Friday’s Game 6 while pursuing a rebound. He doubled over in pain after the play, and although he was able to return to the game, he was frequently clutching his stomach area.

The Knicks, who are hosting their first game 7 since 1995, are hoping to advance to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time since 2000.

Josh Hart, OG Anunoby Both Listed As Questionable For Game 7

May 18th, 2024 at 4:26pm CST by Arthur Hill

Knicks swingman Josh Hart suffered an abdominal strain during Friday’s loss at Indiana, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). Hart will attempt to play in Game 7 on Sunday afternoon, Charania adds.

New York could also have OG Anunoby back in its lineup on Sunday, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link), who notes that the versatile forward has been upgraded to questionable on the team’s official injury report. Anunoby has been sidelined since Game 2 with a strained hamstring, and Wojnarowski – having previously reported that the 26-year-old was expected to miss Game 7 – hears that he’ll likely go through shootaround before his status is determined.

Hart, who has been an iron man throughout the playoffs, was limited to about 30 minutes in Game 6. He asked to come out of the game in the first quarter, and even though he was able to return, he was clutching his abdomen during play stoppages.

Hart appeared to get injured while boxing out Pascal Siakam on a missed free throw, according to Kristian Winfield of The New York Daily News. Hart grabbed at his abdominal area after the play and bent over in pain. The Knicks have listed him as questionable for Sunday as well.

Hart has been an indispensable part of New York’s postseason success, averaging 14.9 points, 11.8 rebounds and 4.5 assists through 12 games. He has also been a fiery leader and has embodied the team’s “next man up” approach through a long series of injuries. He played all 48 minutes in the first two playoff games against Indiana and was logging 40.4 minutes per night in the series before Friday.

Coach Tom Thibodeau wasn’t able to offer any insight into Hart’s condition after Friday’s game, telling reporters “we’ll see” when asked about his availability for Game 7 (video link from New York Post Sports).

“He seems like he’s feeling better now,” Miles McBride said of Hart following the loss. “I’m not sure about the whole situation, but obviously for a guy like that who’s pretty tough, asking out is not a good sign, but I think he’ll bounce back.”

Poll: Who Will Win Knicks/Pacers Game 7?

May 18th, 2024 at 1:27pm CST by Luke Adams

It will be an eventful Sunday in the National Basketball Association. Game 7 of the Western Conference semifinals between the Nuggets and Timberwolves, which we discussed on Friday, will be preceded by a Game 7 in the Eastern Conference semifinals between the Knicks and Pacers. The winner will advance to face the Celtics in the Eastern finals.

Through the first six games of the Knicks/Pacers series, the home team has dominated. New York has a 3-0 record and a +43 margin at Madison Square Garden, but Indiana has been even better at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, posting a 3-0 record with a +50 margin.

The good news for the Knicks is that Game 7 will take place in New York. The bad news? At this point in the series, the injury-plagued squad is just looking to survive a battle of attrition. With Julius Randle and Bojan Bogdanovic already unavailable to open the second round, the Knicks have seen Mitchell Robinson go down with a season-ending ankle injury and OG Anunoby suffer a hamstring strain that’s expected to sideline him for a fifth straight contest on Sunday.

Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart have managed to play in every game of the postseason, but both players – who have had a major hand in the Knicks’ success to this point – are banged up, with Hart’s status for Game 7 still up in the air due to an abdominal injury. Even if he’s able to play, it’s unclear how close he’ll be to 100%.

The Knicks are still listed as two-point favorites, according to BetOnline.ag, but given the overall talent level of the roster and their success at home this series, that number should be higher — it would be, if they were a little healthier.

New York’s injury woes have opened the door for the upstart Pacers, who entered the season as a projected sub-.500 team, to make the Eastern Conference Finals. But to pull out the series, they’ll need to put forth a better defensive effort than they have in the first three games in New York.

The Knicks, who had a 117.3 offensive rating during the regular season, have posted just a 107.6 mark on the road in the series vs. Indiana but have a staggering 131.0 offensive rating in their second-round home games.

Indiana hasn’t actually been bad at all offensively at Madison Square Garden. While star forward Pascal Siakam (18.3 points per game) hasn’t matched his regular season scoring average and star guard Tyrese Haliburton has games of six and 13 points sandwiching a 34-point outburst, the club as a whole has converted on 49.4% of its field goal attempts and 42.5% of its three-pointers on the road. But the Pacers’ defense has been porous in those losses and they haven’t been physical enough on the boards, where the Knicks have grabbed nearly 60% of the available rebounds across their three home games.

With Game 7 just over 24 hours away, we want to know what you think. Can the Knicks’ remaining healthy players come through on Sunday and win the series, or will the deeper, healthier Pacers become the first team to win a road game in the series?

Vote in our poll, then head to the comment section below to share your thoughts!

Latest On Knicks’ Injuries

May 18th, 2024 at 8:29am CST by Tristan Tucker

As we relayed on Friday night, the statuses of Knicks forwards OG Anunoby (hamstring strain) and Josh Hart (abdominal soreness) going forward are up in the air, but the outlook for either being able to play and give 100% in Sunday’s Game 7 against the Pacers isn’t great, according to multiple outlets.

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter video link; hat tip to Stefan Bondy of The New York Post), the Knicks are preparing to be without Anunoby for Game 7.

“The Knicks are going to have to beat Indiana without OG Anunoby,” Wojnarowski said prior to Game 6. “I’m told he would also be out for a Game 7 with that hamstring.”

The Knicks are 1-3 this postseason and 14-18 in total without Anunoby in their lineup since acquiring him in February — they’ve gone 26-5 when he has been available.

Hart, who has been something of an iron man for the Knicks, motioned to the sideline and asked to come out of Game 6 in the first quarter. As we detailed last night, he eventually came back in, but according to Yahoo Sports’ Jake Fischer, he was clutching his abdomen during every downbeat of the game.

“You never wanna see anybody get hurt, but it’s been our season,” Donte DiVincenzo said. “We have more than enough, whoever’s on the court. I’ve said it 100 times.”

As The Athletic’s Fred Katz writes, during this playoff run alone, the Knicks have lost Mitchell Robinson and Bojan Bogdanovic to season-ending injuries, Anunoby to his current hamstring strain, and Jalen Brunson briefly with a foot issue. Now there’s Hart, who had previously appeared in 81 of 82 regular season games and in all 12 of New York’s playoff games. Spotrac’s Keith Smith points out the Knicks are down to just four healthy players who appeared in the opening postseason game against the Sixers: Brunson, DiVincenzo, Isaiah Hartenstein and Miles McBride (Twitter link).

Reserves Alec Burks and Precious Achiuwa have become key contributors during the latter half of this playoff run and New York may need to go even deeper into its roster if Hart isn’t good to go. Jericho Sims, Shake Milton, DaQuan Jeffries and Mamadi Diakite are New York’s only other healthy roster pieces.

For what it’s worth, several Knicks players seemed optimistic about the chances of Hart playing. As Katz writes, Hart has seen more action than any other player in the league in the postseason and had a stretch of five games where he averaged more than 48 minutes per contest.

“Just knowing him, he’ll do whatever to play. If his leg’s not falling off I can probably say he’ll probably play,” Hartenstein said. “I haven’t talked to him. We’ll see. It’s hard. He’s done so much for us this season.”

In 12 playoff games, Hart has maintained averages of 14.9 points, 11.8 rebounds and 4.5 assists, though he was held to five points, eight rebounds and three assists on Friday.

“There’s a lot of things obviously that physically don’t go our way with our team this year,” Brunson said. “I think our main focus is whoever we have out there, regardless of what you’re dealing with or anything — if you are out there, you are ready to go. Yes, Josh asked to come back out, but he went back in and gives everything he has. What more can you ask for from a teammate? Knowing the situation, we’re just going to have each other’s backs.”

Atlantic Notes: Brown, Bokmeyer, Anunoby, McBride, Hart

May 17th, 2024 at 10:33pm CST by Tristan Tucker

While the Raptors didn’t trade Bruce Brown Jr. again after they acquired him from the Pacers this season, that might change this offseason. The Raptors have until June 29 to exercise Brown’s $23MM team option for next season and, according to Doug Smith of The Toronto Star, a handful of sources think that Toronto will pick up that option and trade Brown quickly, rather than waiting until the 2025 deadline.

Trading Brown would give the Raptors some leeway when it comes to talks with free agent wing Gary Trent Jr. According to Smith, the sentiment is that Toronto won’t start the season with both Brown and Trent on the roster. Trent is still just 25 and his outside shooting ability might make him more appealing in the long run.

The Raptors acquired Brown as part of the trade that sent Pascal Siakam to Indiana. He averaged 9.6 points in 34 games with Toronto after registering 12.1 PPG in 33 games in Indiana. Despite the slight dip in production, Brown is still viewed as a valuable rotation player with defensive prowess and positional versatility.

We have more from the Atlantic Division:

The Nets hired Justin Bokmeyer to their front office as their new director of basketball operations, Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic reports. This move is likely related to the Hornets hiring away Ryan Gisriel, Brooklyn’s former executive director of basketball and business operations. Bokmeyer worked in international basketball operations before going to the NBA. He also helped guide the NBA Academy program and assisted in launching the Basketball Africa League.
OG Anunoby, who is dealing with a hamstring injury, has missed the past four games for the Knicks. According to The Athletic’s Fred Katz (Twitter link), head coach Tom Thibodeau said Anunoby’s health is “basically the same.” The forward is doing some light on-court work, but it remains unclear when exactly he will return.
Miles McBride began the season on the bench, but the Knicks are now calling on him to handle the most important defensive assignments, Newsday’s Steve Popper observes. He was inserted into the starting lineup in Game 5 and was the primary defender against the engine of the Pacers’ offense in Tyrese Haliburton, who scored just 13 points on the night. McBride still thinks he has room for improvement. “I think I’ve got to go up a level,” McBride said. “… Obviously he didn’t go scoreless, and he was still impactful in a way, so my goal is for guys to go scoreless and to make as minimum of an impact on the game.” McBride finished Game 6 as the team’s second-highest scorer, with only Jalen Brunson (31 points) exceeding McBride’s 20 points.
Josh Hart exited Game 6 in the fourth quarter with what the team called abdominal soreness and didn’t return, according to the team (Twitter link). Hart left the game a couple times due to injury, going to the locker room after the first quarter and again later in the game. The severity is unclear — considering the Knicks were trailing significantly at the time, it’s possible this was more of a precautionary move in order to preserve an important role player for Game 7 on Sunday.

Eastern Notes: Thibodeau, DeRozan, Carter, Nets, Bucks

May 17th, 2024 at 7:33am CST by Luke Adams

The Knicks and head coach Tom Thibodeau will discuss an extension this offseason ahead of his contract year in 2024/25, confirms Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter video link).

In an appearance on FanDuel’s Run it Back show, Charania said the Knicks “very much want to lock (him) in long-term,” adding that Thibodeau is expected to get a raise on his current deal, which is worth about $7MM per year. Both Charania and Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports suggest that an eight-figure annual salary for Thibodeau is a realistic outcome in those negotiations.

Thibodeau has compiled a 175-143 (.550) regular season record since taking over as the Knicks’ head coach in 2020. The team won a playoff series last spring and is on the brink of a conference finals appearance this year, with a 3-2 lead over the Pacers in the Eastern semifinals.

Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:

Asked during another Run it Back segment this week whether he can envision himself playing in the NBA for five more seasons, 15-year veteran DeMar DeRozan admitted that sticking around that long isn’t a priority for him. “I don’t want play 20 years, I’ll be honest,” DeRozan said (Twitter video link). “Just from the standpoint of missing my kids, and I kind of love being normal at times. Twenty years is a lot.” The Bulls forward also reiterated (Twitter video link) that he hopes to re-sign with Chicago this summer, a stance that he made clear at season’s end.
The Nets announced this week that they intend to retire Vince Carter‘s No. 15 jersey next season (Twitter link). Carter, who began his career in Toronto, was traded to New Jersey in 2004 and averaged 23.6 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per game with the Nets across 374 regular season contests in four-and-a-half seasons, earning a pair of All-Star berths with the franchise.
Could the Bucks‘ G League team be looking for a new home sometime soon? Justin Marville of The Oshkosh Northwestern details how a dispute between the Wisconsin Herd and Oshkosh Arena owner Fox Valley Pro Basketball Inc. over their lease agreement could result in the Herd leaving Oshkosh. As Marville notes, the Oshkosh Arena is currently for sale, so a new owner could help smooth things over with the Herd, though it’s unclear how long the sale process might take.

OG Anunoby Out For Game 6, Could Play In Game 7

May 16th, 2024 at 4:35pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Knicks forward OG Anunoby will remain sidelined for Game 6 of New York’s second round playoff series against the Pacers on Friday, sources inform Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter link).

The 6’7″ swingman has been on the shelf since suffering a a hamstring injury in Game 2.

New York is ahead of Indiana 3-2 in the best-of-seven series, meaning the Knicks could close out the Pacers on the road Friday without Anunoby. Should they fail to do this, Begley adds that there is a chance Anunoby could be healthy enough to play in a Game 7. Previous reporting indicated that the Eastern Conference Finals could be a more realistic target for the forward’s return.

In his eight available playoff contests for New York this spring (all starts), Anunoby has averaged 16.4 points (on .495/.395/.615 shooting), 6.8 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.1 blocks and 1.0 steal per game.

The winner of the series will face off against the top-seeded Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals. Boston vanquished the Cavaliers in a five-game series on Wednesday night.

Spurs Haven’t Shown Much Interest In Trae Young

May 16th, 2024 at 9:24am CST by Dana Gauruder

Trae Young could be an ideal fit for the Spurs. However, San Antonio has thus far shown little interest in acquiring the Hawks point guard, sources tell Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports. Fischer’s story echoes a couple other reports from the past month that have downplayed the idea of Young ending up in San Antonio.

The Hawks, who unexpectedly landed the top overall pick via the draft lottery, are widely expected to consider trade scenarios that would break up their backcourt of Young and Dejounte Murray. Atlanta scoured the league to gauge interest in all of its players prior to February’s trade deadline with the exception of forward Jalen Johnson, Fischer notes.

San Antonio has no clear long-term floor leader and it’s expected the Spurs will explore their options to find a pick-and-roll partner for Victor Wembanyama. Yet multiple league figures tell Fischer that San Antonio’s interest in trading for Young has been vastly overstated.

The two teams could be doing some business together this summer, whether or not it involves Young. San Antonio holds the No. 4 and No. 8 picks, making it a natural trade partner if the Hawks choose to move down. The franchises, of course, completed the Murray blockbuster two summers ago and Atlanta’s front office duo of general manager Landry Fields and assistant GM Onsi Saleh began their careers in the Spurs’ front office.

As for Young, the Lakers hold some interest in him and now have three first-rounders available to trade. Los Angeles will have to consider other options before committing any type of capital for Young, Fischer adds, though Donovan Mitchell might be off the table if he signs an extension.

The Lakers are still pondering their coaching options and they might wait until next month to make that hire, Fischer confirms in a separate story. That’s primarily due to their interest in J.J. Redick. His current obligation to ESPN/ABC for the network’s postseason schedule and NBA Finals has various insiders under the impression Los Angeles’ search may stretch into June, as Marc Stein previously reported.

The Lakers have numerous candidates on their list, but James Borrego has been widely categorized as the experienced, veteran foil to Redick’s candidacy, Fischer writes. The former Hornets head man and current Pelicans assistant has maintained close ties with Anthony Davis since Davis was a rookie and Borrego was an assistant for the then-Hornets.

In other coaching news, Mike Brown’s contract extension talks with the Kings are expected to center around an eight-figure threshold and a Tom Thibodeau extension with the Knicks is also expected to reach those figures, Fischer notes.

Knicks Notes: McBride, Hartenstein, DiVincenzo, Anunoby, Burks

May 15th, 2024 at 7:50am CST by Luke Adams

After losing back-to-back games in Indiana, the Knicks made a lineup change ahead of Game 5, inserting Miles McBride into Precious Achiuwa‘s spot in the starting five. As Ian Begley of SNY.tv writes, the move paid major dividends.

The Knicks outscored the Pacers by 26 points during McBride’s 40 minutes on the court, and the extra spacing afforded by his presence gave Jalen Brunson more room to operate — the Knicks star took advantage by scoring a series-high 44 points in the blowout victory. McBride was also one of the primary defenders on Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton, who contributed just 13 points and five assists on the night.

“Huge,” Donte DiVincenzo said of McBride’s impact, per Begley. “Offensively, spacing the floor, being aggressive. And defensively making it hell full court, denying it. Being able to be in help and get back. He was special tonight.”

Despite using a smaller lineup, with the 6’2″ McBride replacing the 6’8″ Achiuwa, the Knicks dominated the game inside. They outscored Indiana by a 62-36 margin in the paint and grabbed 53 rebounds (20 offensive) compared to just 29 (five offensive) for the Pacers. Seventeen of those rebounds, including 12 offensive boards, went to Isaiah Hartenstein, who said playing “physical” basketball was a priority for him heading into Tuesday’s game.

“I feel like the games in Indiana, I wasn’t playing like myself, wasn’t physical,” Hartenstein said, according to Peter Botte of The New York Post. “I was letting them kind of play how I play, so just coming in, that was the biggest thing I wanted to do.”

Here’s more on the Knicks as they prepare to head back to Indianapolis with a 3-2 series lead:

DiVincenzo and Myles Turner got into a brief altercation in the third quarter of Tuesday’s game and had to be separated (Twitter video link). After DiVincenzo threw down a big dunk, he came back up the court and attempted to fight through a Turner screen, but got called for a foul. According to Brian Lewis of The New York Post, Turner seemed to take exception with an elbow to the gut from the Knicks wing on the play. “They were trying to be tough guys. And that’s not their identity, and there’s nothing more to that,” DiVincenzo told reporters after the game. “I don’t agree with trying to walk up on somebody. … Nobody is going to fight in the NBA. So take the foul, keep it moving. You’re not a tough guy. Just keep it moving.”
Head coach Tom Thibodeau said on Tuesday that injured forward OG Anunoby (hamstring strain) was doing some “light work” on the court, as Begley tweets. However, in a pregame TNT segment, sideline reporter Chris Haynes (Twitter video link) suggested that Anunoby is probably a long shot to play again in this series, stating that a potential return for the Eastern Conference Finals is more likely.
After not playing in any of the Knicks’ first seven games of the playoffs, Alec Burks has emerged as a reliable rotation piece since Anunoby went down, scoring 14, 20, and 18 points in his past three games. “He’s been giving us huge minutes this series,” Josh Hart said (story via Botte). “He’s a true professional, someone who’s staying ready. You see him every day working hard, getting his shots up. That’s what pros do. When they’re not in the rotation they continue to get better, continue to stay ready. When his number was called he came out and provided for us when we desperately needed it. He’s a true pro, someone who we’re going to continue to rely on for those minutes.”