OG Anunoby uses special ‘gift’ to shut down Victor Wembanyama in crunch time for Knicks
NY Post
Slowing down Victor Wembanyama required the special OG touch.
With about 6 ¹/₂ minutes remaining and the Knicks trailing by 5, Tom Thibodeau ignored the size difference and stuck his best defender — OG Anunoby — on the red-hot Wembanyama.
The result was zero points for Wembanyama on three shots from that moment, and a thrilling 117-114 comeback victory for the Knicks.
“I mean, yeah, that’s OG. That’s who he is,” said Mikal Bridges, who finished with 41 points and outdueled Wembanyama — who remained at 42 points the rest of the way, two short of Wilt Chamberlain’s record for a Christmas debut — down the stretch. “We needed him to guard him at the end. He did a great job. I wish he was on him a little earlier, but it’s just OG man.
“Any size, any guy, he can guard from a point guard to the tallest dude in the NBA.”
Tom Thibodeau finally made the change to Anunoby after Karl-Anthony Towns, the starting center, picked up his fifth foul and was subbed out.
The Nets dropped their fourth straight game Monday, beaten by Cooper Flagg and their own sloppiness.
Aaron Rodgers’ season with the Steelers came to a screeching halt on Monday, as Pittsburgh was bounced from the playoffs and the quarterback had a rough night.
Mike Sullivan came up with a few tweaks to the lineup heading into Monday’s game against Seattle at Madison Square Garden, perhaps most notably dropping Alexis Lafrenière from the second line to the third, with Gabe Perreault moving to the second.
The boxscore was a sight to behold.
Greg Kittle addressed his devastating Achilles injury for the first time in a post on Instagram on Monday.
Jim Harbaugh was lost on Sunday night.
Mike McDaniel will return to Cleveland, where he worked as a wide receivers coach early in his career, to interview for the vacant head coaching position with the Browns.
PORTLAND, Ore. — The Knicks closed out their victory with an All-Star on the bench.
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – At this time of year, most of the NFL is searching for one of two things and sometimes both. The teams who failed to qualify for the postseason are almost all thinking about how to improve at the two most important spots on the team — head coach and quarterback.
WINNIPEG, Manitoba — I saw Matthew Schaefer’s future Saturday night.
The Tigers’ looming salary showdown with their superstar pitcher has been dubbed a “fumble.”
An endgame collapse kept the Nets winless without Michael Porter Jr. this season — and was a reminder of just how much this young team has to learn about winning.