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New York Knicks forward O.G. Anunoby is set to miss three weeks of action after requiring surgery to remove a loose bone fragment in his right elbow, according to several sources.
The procedure is considered ‘minor,’ with Anunoby expected to resume basketball activities by the end of February or early March at the latest, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Before the injury, Anunoby had been averaging 15.1 points in 33.3 minutes per game, along with 2.7 ᴀssists and 3.9 rebounds. He was shooting 48.9 percent overall from the field and 37.4 percent behind the arc.
The U.K.-born player had been traded from the Toronto Raptors to the Knicks in December for R.J. Barrett, Immanuel Quickly and a second-round pick. Precious Achiuwa and Malachi Flynn were also part of that trade.
New York is set to face the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday, the first game of many that Anunoby will miss.
OG Anunoby, who was traded to the Knicks in Dec., won’t return until late Feb., or early March
BREAKING: New York Knicks F OG Anunoby had surgery to remove a loose bone fragment in his right elbow and will miss a minimum of three weeks, sources tell ESPN. Procedure is considered minor and he’s expected to resume basketball activities in three weeks. pic.twitter.com/jws9NC1s32
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 8, 2024
The Knicks will be hoping to at least have Jalen Brunson available to play against his former team, though the odds of that happening seem to be fairly split due to an ankle injury.
Another Knicks star – Julius Randle – will sit out against Dallas due to a shoulder issue.
New York has dropped its last three meetings against the Mavericks, including a 128-124 loss on January 11 in Dallas. Kyrie Irving scored 44 points to lead the Mavericks.
The Knicks won for the 10th time in 11 games on Tuesday, when Brunson scored 27 points in a 123-113 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies. Brunson exited the game in the fourth quarter with a right ankle sprain, but early reports are optimistic that he avoided a serious injury.
‘Playing with him for so long and knowing him — I said, ”You good?’ And he said, ”I’m good,” and I didn’t ask anything after that,’ said Knicks guard Donte DiVincenzo, who also played with Brunson at Villanova. ‘I don’t worry about Jalen at all. He’s one of the toughest guys in the league. I’m not worried.’
Jalen Brunson is a major doubt for Thursday’s game against Dallas while Julius Randle will miss out due to a shoulder injury
New York improved to 19-6 at home after leading wire-to-wire against Memphis. DiVincenzo scored a game-high 32 points, and Isaiah Hartenstein and Precious Achiuwa added 17 apiece.
The Knicks are 16-3 over their last 19 games despite battling the injury bug.
Ahead of Friday’s NBA Trade ᴅᴇᴀᴅline, the Knicks dealt guards Quentin Grimes, Ryan Arcidiacono, and Evan Fournier, along with Flynn and two second-round picks to the Detroit Pistons in exchange for Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks.
It remains to be known, whether Bodgdanovic and Burks will make their Knicks debut on Thursday night against Dallas. New York then host the Indiana Pacers on Saturday.
New York sits fourth in Eastern Conference standings with a 33-18 record, trailing the Boston Celtics (39-12), Cleveland Cavaliers (33-16) and Milwaukee Bucks (33-18).
