NEW YORK — The New York Knicks are not only unbeaten with OG Anunoby, they are dominant when their new forward is on the floor.
Anunoby scored 23 points, his most since coming to New York, and the Knicks won their fifth in a row since he joined their lineup with a 112-84 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday night.
Anunoby scored 16 in a first quarter, when the Knicks opened a 19-point lead that would grow to 39 in the third quarter. The forward went 6 for 7 in the period, 4 of 5 behind the 3-point arc, and was already just a point shy of the 17 he scored in his Knicks debut against Minnesota on New Year’s Day, his previous best since coming from Toronto in a Dec. 30 trade.
“He’s made a great contribution, not just with defense, but moving without the ball, getting the ball up the floor fast, his shot-making, and it’s only going to get better as we go,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said.