There are plenty of Pacers and Knicks fans in the IU basketball fan base.
And the health of a former Hoosiers star might end up playing a key role in the Eastern Conference Semifinals series involving the two NBA franchises.
With the Knicks up 2-0 in the series, OG Anunoby missed Game 3, and his absence helped the Pacers pull to within 2-1 on Friday evening in Indianapolis.
The Knicks fortunes have risen and fallen with Anunoby’s availability this season.
And now Anunoby will miss Sunday’s Game 4 in Indiana as the forward continues to rehab from a hamstring strain he suffered in Game 2 on Wednesday, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski is reporting.
There is no timetable for Anunoby’s return.
The Knicks ruled Anunoby out for Game 3 less than 24 hours before the game was played, but the forward did travel with the team. Before his injury, Anunoby was playing at a very high level in Game 2. He scored 28 points on 10-for-19 shooting in 28 minutes while pulling down four rebounds and dishing three assists before the injury.
New York acquired Anunoby from Toronto in a midseason trade, and his presence has significantly elevated the Knicks’ season. Since that trade, the Knicks are 26-5 in the 31 games Anunoby has played including the playoffs, and 13-16 in the 29 games he has missed.
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.
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.
