Despite beating the Boston Celtics on Friday night, the New York Knicks looked like they had suffered a loss in the process. They didn’t. OG Anunoby isn’t just going to be fine; apparently, he was fine all along.
Inside five minutes to play during the fourth quarter, Anunoby left the court with what seemed to be a leg injury, and then didn’t return. Though he could be seen on the sidelines riding the stationary bike, any hint of an injury to New York’s defensive anchor incites at least an undercurrent of panic.
As SNY’s Ian Begley has since noted, though, Mike Brown said that Anunoby “would have been able to go back in the game if needed.” And just to drive the point home, Begley adds that OG was dealing with nothing more than a cramp, and that this seems like a “non-issue.”
OG Anunoby would have been able to go back in the game if needed, Mike Brown said. Anunoby had a cramp and left floor in fourth quarter. Seems like a non-issue.
— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) October 25, 2025
Finally, mercifully, the Knicks are getting an injury update they can celebrate. This is the kind of news that can become a footnote. To New York, though, it’s actually one that saves the start of its season.
The Knicks are already too injured
Losing Anunoby for any time at all would be a disaster for the Knicks. He is no worse than their third-most important player overall, and nobody is more critical to the defense’s success. His value has only skyrocketed as Mike Brown continues to experiment with lineups featuring him as the de facto center. (That sound you hear is Tom Thibodeau grumbling while rolling his eyes into the back of his head.)
Beyond that, New York is already banged up enough. Josh Hart returned from his mysterious back injury, but the Knicks are still dealing with a messy Mitchell Robinson situation. He has yet to make his season debut while, apparently, managing an ankle injury.
Because the Hart and Robinson issues aren’t enough drama to start the season, Karl-Anthony Towns is purportedly playing through a Grade 2 quad strain. He looked a lot better against the Celtics than he did against the Cleveland Cavaliers (turnovers notwithstanding), but even the idea that he’s gutting out what, by definition, is a pretty significant injury shouldn’t make anyone feel warm and fuzzy inside.
To be sure, the Knicks are nowhere needing to sound the alarm bells. Hart has returned, and KAT has yet to miss a game. The injuries are, as of now, quite navigable—so long as they don’t get worse.
And short of Jalen Brunson turning an ankle, or having the mothership call him home, it’s tough to imagine a worse development than losing Anunoby for any length of time. Fortunately for the Knicks and their fans, they don’t have to worry about it.