OG Anunoby arrived at just the right time for the surging New York Knicks, who bring a five-game winning streak into a matchup against the host Dallas Mavericks on Thursday.
The Knicks are unbeaten since acquiring Anunoby from the Toronto Raptors in a five-player trade on Dec. 30. The latest victory came on Tuesday, when Anunoby scored 23 points in a 112-84 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers.
Anunoby is averaging 14.2 points while shooting 54.9 percent from the floor and 45.5 percent from beyond the arc in five games with the Knicks.
“He’s made a great contribution, not just with defense, but moving without the ball, getting the ball up the floor fast, his shot-making, and it’s only going to get better as we go,” New York coach Tom Thibodeau said.
Anunoby’s impact was clear again in the dominant win over Portland. Julius Randle had 20 points, eight assists and seven rebounds, while Quentin Grimes added 17 points. The victory moved New York into fourth place in the Eastern Conference.
The Knicks look to maintain their momentum against Dallas, which had its three-game winning streak snapped in a 120-103 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday.
Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving combined for 64 points in the contest, but the Mavericks struggled to slow down a Memphis team playing without several injured starters, including Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr.
Dallas was outrebounded 54-33 in the loss and trailed by as many as 22 in the second quarter.
“This is part of the ebbs and flows of the season. We just don’t want to make it a habit where we play against some of the best teams in the league, we play well, we’re up and our focus level is there,” Irving said, “and then we play against a team that doesn’t have Jaren or Ja, and they fully take advantage of their opportunity and hit us in the mouth.”
Dallas took a step back against Memphis after an impressive win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday. Irving said the Mavericks need to regain their focus after falling to the Grizzlies.
“When you’re aspiring to be in the top of the league and be respected as one of the best teams, nights like this matter,” Irving said. “You don’t want to hang your head for too long, but obviously playing against the No. 1 team in the West and then playing against the Memphis Grizzlies — no disrespect to who they are — we took our foot off the gas pedal, and they took advantage.”
Dallas won both meetings last season against New York and will see a familiar face in Knicks guard Jalen Brunson, who spent the first four seasons of his career with the Mavericks.
Brunson is averaging 25.6 points and 6.4 assists in his second season with the Knicks. The reigning Eastern Conference Player of the Week drew high praise from Portland coach Chauncey Billups before Tuesday’s game.
“I’m a huge fan of Jalen. I think he’s a winner more than anything,” Billups said. “You can talk about how crafty he is and how he can score and how he’s just a winner. He makes big plays. He makes winning plays. He’s leading the league in taking charges and he’s just a winner.”
–Field Level Media