INDIANAPOLIS — OG Anunoby hardly ever shows any emotion. He is as laconic as they come.
That’s why his bit of trash talk during the Knicks’ 106-100 Game 3 win over the Pacers Sunday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse was telling.
With the Knicks trailing by four with under four minutes left in the game, Anunoby swatted Aaron Nesmith’s shot away and then shouted a few words in his direction.
That’s the version of Anunoby the Knicks need every night. That’s the fire that can bring out the best in him.
“OG was terrific,” coach Tom Thibodeau said after the game.
Anunoby’s scoring — and particularly his 3-point shooting — has been up and down this postseason. There are games when he aggressively looks for his shot and adds a needed scoring threat. There have been other games when he looks extremely passive and is almost a nonfactor on offense.
He was probably the only Knicks player who showed up from start to finish Sunday night. He finished with 16 points on 6-for-9 shooting from the field. He drilled 4-of-6 3-pointers as well. Two of those 3s were critical in the Knicks comeback.
His trey with 10:38 left in the third quarter cut the Knicks deficit to 10. Then when the Pacers lead grew back to 16, Anunoby hit another 3 to bring the Knicks within 13 with 7:44 left in the quarter.
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“Just shooting my shot with confidence, not worrying about missing,” Anunoby said Monday. “Just shooting good shots and it will even out over time with a greater sample size. Just shooting the right shots, shooting with confidence and being ready to shoot, also.”
Anunoby’s defense was also critical, adding three blocks and a steal. His defense on Pascal Siakam, his old teammate with the Raptors, was also much improved after Siakam scored a season-high and playoff career-high 39 points in Game 2.
“Pascal is a great player,” Anunoby said. “So, just after that Game 2, just trying to make it as difficult as possible. Maybe not help as much in certain situations and not give him easy looks or their shots. Just try to make it as difficult as possible and force him into uncomfortable possessions. Pascal is one of my great friends in the league. We were very close as teammates. He’s a great player and a great person, but we’re competing right now.”
After giving him the biggest contract in franchise history, the Knicks cannot afford for Anunoby to be in the background. He needs to be at the forefront.
The Knicks need, most of all, for Anunoby to bring the tenacity he showed in that rare display of emotion.