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Knicks Star Better After Scary Dunk Incident

New York Knicks fans were almost dealt a scary flashback during Friday's thriller in Oklahoma City.

Geoff Magliocchetti

Jan 3, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Cason Wallace (22) defends New York Knicks forward OG Anunoby (8) during the first quarter at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
Jan 3, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Cason Wallace (22) defends New York Knicks forward OG Anunoby (8) during the first quarter at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images / Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
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It was almost deja vu all over again for New York Knicks fans in the worst way on Friday night but they've appeared to have averted disaster.

In the third quarter of action against the Oklahoma City Thunder, OG Anunoby turned one of Karl-Anthony Towns' 22 rebounds into a fastbreak opportunity. He would finish with a dunk on the other end off a feed from Jalen Brunson, but he fell hard to the ground on the same elbow that wound up derailing his stellar first season with the Knicks.

After a tenes minute--complete with Anunoby's elbow apparently going limp as he sought assistance on the Knicks' sideline--the second-year New Yorker returned to the floor to sink an awarded free throw for a foul on the dramatic double, competing the process that gave the Knicks an 80-68 lead.

Though that lead was lost, it could've been much worse for the Knicks, who are all-too-well-versed in playing without Anunoby. The veteran's arrival tipped off a new period of prosperity for the Knicks but progress was halted when he was forced to miss over 30 straight games with the aforementioned elbow injury.

In the aftermath, Anunoby remarked to Stefan Bondy of the New York Post that things looked much worse than they were in his own stoic terms.

“My arm was ringing, like my funny bone,” Anunoby said, stating that he landed on his side rather than the elbow in question. “Time passed and I felt better."

After the necessary check-up on the Knicks' bench, Anunoby shared a quick handshake with Luguentz Dort, who fouled him on the play in a futile attempt to stop the slam, acknowledging the lack of ill will on either side. Anunoby would finish the night with 20 points on 7-of-13 shooting in the 117-107 loss to the Thunder, which ended the Knicks' nine-game winning streak.

As if the fact he was able to finish the game wasn't promising enough, Anunoby did not appear on the injury report for Saturday's immediate return to action against the Chicago Bulls (8 p.m. ET, MSG/NBA TV). Jalen Brunson (calf) and Miles McBride (hamstring) are respectively listed as probable and questionable.

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Geoff Magliocchetti
GEOFF MAGLIOCCHETTI

Editor-In-Chief at All Knicks

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