The injury situation, as expected, got worse for the Knicks.
OG Anunoby has a strained hamstring and will miss Friday’s Game 3 against the Pacers, the team announced. He’s unlikely to play in Game 4, ESPN reports.
The small forward was in the midst of his best Knicks playoff performance when he came up lame late in the third quarter of Wednesday’s win at MSG.
He grabbed his hamstring, limped to the locker room with 28 points and never returned.
The forward is the team’s most important defensive player but missed 27 games during the season with an elbow injury.
Navigating his absence will be tricky for the Knicks, who are severely understaffed.
Three normal rotation players — Julius Randle, Mitchell Robinson and Bojan Bogdanovic — are out for the playoffs.
The most logical option is to move Precious Achiuwa to starting power forward and Jericho Sims to backup center.
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Since the Pacers aren’t as threatening in the paint and on the glass, the Knicks could also move Josh Hart to power forward and start Miles McBride.
Anunoby was the primary defender on Indiana’s Pascal Siakam in Games 1 and 2.
Regardless, Hart understands his role.
“I’m playing 48 minutes anyways,” he said.
The Knicks, who are two wins away from the franchise’s first conference finals since 2000, are 26-5 with Anunoby in the lineup.
There’s no timeline for his recovery, and strained hamstrings are often an unpredictable injury.
Jalen Brunson, meanwhile, is “questionable” with a sore foot, the Knicks said.
Brunson appeared to suffer the injury in the opening quarter Wednesday.
He returned after halftime to lead the Knicks to their latest thrilling win.