A former IU star could make the difference as the Knicks and Pacers get set for Game 7 of the NBA’s Eastern Conference semifinals.
New York forward OG Anunoby, out since Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals due to a left hamstring strain, plans to participate in shootaround on Sunday morning and test for a potential Game 7 return against the Indiana Pacers, ESPN is reporting.
The Knicks upgraded Anunoby to questionable on Saturday afternoon. He has averaged 16.4 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1 steal and 1 block in eight playoff games this season.
New York has been ravaged by injuries this season, and Anunoby isn’t the only player whose status is unclear for Sunday.
Knicks guard Josh Hart has also been listed as questionable with an abdominal strain suffered in Game 6 in Indiana, and the expectation is that he’ll try to play.
Game 7 is Sunday at 3:30 p.m. ET (ABC).
The Knicks are 1-3 in the Eastern Conference semifinals series with Indiana since Anunoby went down with the injury, following a 2-0 start with him. That follows a season-long trend since New York acquired him in a midseason trade.
The Knicks are 26-5 in the 31 games he has played (84% winning percentage), 15-19 in the 34 games he has missed (44%).
Since he was acquired by the Knicks, Anunoby has averaged 14.1 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game while shooting 39.4 percent from three.
Anunoby was the 23rd pick in the 2017 NBA Draft out of Indiana.
He entered the draft coming off of a 2016-17 sophomore season-ending ACL injury with Indiana. Anunoby was averaging 11.1 points and 5.4 rebounds per game for IU before the injury.
