The Knicks dropped 10 of the 18 games they played without OG Anunoby, who finally was expected to return to their lineup for the first time since he was shut down in late January with an elbow injury that required cleanup surgery.
Tom Thibodeau said before Tuesday’s game against the 76ers that Anunoby was expected to play as long as he suffered no setbacks during pregame warm-ups.
The Knicks also have been missing All-Star power forward Julius Randle and starting center Mitchell Robinson over that exact span, and the Knicks hope they also are progressing towards respective returns before the end of the regular season.
Anunoby was set to become the first of the team’s starting frontline to make it back after he’d been cleared to resume practicing fully last week and then cleared by the medical staff to make his first game appearance since Jan. 27 against the Heat.
The Knicks had won 12 of the 14 games Anunoby appeared in following his acquisition along with Precious Achiuwa from the Raptors on Dec. 30 in a blockbuster deal that sent former first-round picks RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley to Toronto.
The 27-year-old Anunoby averaged 15.6 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.8 steals in his first 14 appearances after the trade, while shooting 39.1 percent from 3-point range.
A few hours after executing another trade with the Pistons to acquire Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks ahead of the Feb. 8 deadline, the Knicks announced that Anunoby underwent surgery to remove a bone fragment in his right elbow.
Anunoby’s return likely will start to reduce the heavy minutes several players have logged in his absence, most notably second-unit wing Josh Hart, who entered Tuesday’s game with nine consecutive games of at least 40 minutes played.
He was the first player since Rockets guard James Harden during the 2015-16 season to have such a streak.
Achiuwa also has been a staple in the starting lineup with Randle sidelined since also suffering his injury against the Heat, averaging 36.5 minutes per game while starting 18 consecutive games.
All-Star guard Tyrese Maxey also returned to the Sixers’ lineup Tuesday night after missing their previous four games — including Sunday’s 79-73 win over the Knicks — with a concussion.