Passive OG Anunoby strays from Knicks’ recipe for success in ugly loss

OG Anunoby didn’t travel nan Knicks’ winning formula. 

He was highly passive for nan 2nd consecutive game, finishing pinch conscionable 2 points connected 1-for-6 shooting successful nan 115-93 Game 3 nonaccomplishment to nan Celtics connected Saturday day astatine Madison Square Garden. 

Including past year’s postseason, nan Knicks are a cleanable 8-0 successful playoff games successful which Anunoby attempts 14 aliases much section goals.

But aft Saturday’s loss, they are now 5-9 erstwhile he attempts less than 14 section goals. 

“He’s a awesome player, truthful you’re not gonna beryllium capable to do that each nan time,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said. “To me, he gets a batch of worldly successful nan half-court connected your thief reads, and he’s 1 of nan champion defenders successful getting successful passing lanes, getting retired successful transition. The champion measurement to take sides these guys is to onslaught them pinch due spacing, due sounds truthful that we don’t person live-ball turnovers and let them to get retired successful transition. You conscionable person to return attraction of those margins.” 

Anunoby’s lone points came connected a dunk midway done nan 3rd quarter. He besides was a team-worst minus-25. 

He did not speak to nan media aft nan game. 

The Knicks survived a quiet Anunoby showing successful Game 2, erstwhile he had conscionable 5 points connected 2-for-9 shooting.

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But nan measurement nan Celtics changeable Saturday, nan Knicks needed thief from each their secondary scorers. 

Instead, Anunoby was astir invisible. 

The past 2 games came aft Anunoby erupted for 29 points connected 10-for-20 shooting from nan section and 6-for-11 shooting from 3-point scope successful Game 1.

It was nan benignant of all-around capacity that represented Anunoby’s position arsenic nan franchise’s highest-paid subordinate ever. 

But 7 full points crossed nan past 2 games is not going to trim it.

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The Knicks request him to beryllium measurement much aggressive. 

Both Mazzulla and Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau pointed to nan deficiency of Celtics turnovers preventing easy modulation points for Anunoby.

The Celtics committed conscionable 8 turnovers, and nan Knicks had conscionable 8 accelerated break points. 

“We didn’t get stops. We didn’t get into nan unfastened level for illustration we would’ve liked,” Thibodeau said of Anunoby. “When we do that, that tends to get everyone easy buckets, and we tin play disconnected that better.”