OG Anunoby’s Surprising Comeback Sparks Knicks’ Crushing Victory Over Jazz—What Fueled His Rapid Recovery?

The Knicks’ lineup is finally back to its peak, and boy, does it feel like the whole squad just leveled up overnight. OG Anunoby made his much-anticipated comeback against the Jazz on Friday, stepping onto the court for the first time since that pesky hamstring injury sidelined him back on November 14. Nine games missed—and right when he was showcasing some of the finest basketball of his career. But here’s the kicker: Anunoby didn’t miss a beat, dropping 11 points and handing out an assist in just 23 minutes. And it wasn’t just numbers on a stat sheet—right from the jump, his defensive prowess ignited the Knicks’ historic 23-0 run, the best NBA start documented since 1997-98. You could almost see the pulse of the team pick up—as if they’d been waiting for him. What struck me most was Anunoby’s resilient spirit; even during those tough weeks on the bench, he stayed locked in—supporting, analyzing film, and serving as the players’ eyes from the sidelines. Coach Mike Brown admits he wished he could’ve given him more minutes to boost his conditioning, but with the game well in hand, timing was everything. Still, OG’s got just a couple of games to shake off the rust, and with the fierce Magic heading to the Garden Sunday, the timing couldn’t be more critical. This return isn’t just a lineup update—it’s a serious statement that the Knicks are ready to ramp it up. LEARN MORE

The Knicks’ starting lineup is finally at full strength.

OG Anunoby returned to the floor on Friday against the Jazz, his first game since injuring his hamstring on Nov. 14. The forward missed nine games just when he was putting up some of the best numbers of his career.

But Anunoby picked up where he left off, scoring 11 points and assisting one in 23 minutes on Friday night. As with any game Anunoby plays, his impact goes far beyond the stat sheet. The first defensive possession for the Knicks, Anunoby forced a bad pass from Jazz forward Svi Mykhailiuk, one of many stops by the Knicks as they got off to a 23-0 start, the best in NBA history since play-by-play has been recorded (1997-98), en route to a 146-112 rout.

“I didn’t really notice it. We were just playing. Someone told us later,” Anunoby said. “I didn’t even notice they didn’t score; we were just getting stops and going. So felt pretty good just playing the way we try to play all the time.”

That good feeling extended to Anunoby’s health. He said he felt good after the game and that he missed playing with his teammates and playing for the fans. But he did not have a good time being unable to play. In those few weeks of missing action, Anunoby described his time recovering as “not fun” but still tried to help his teammates however he could.

“Just try to help in any way possible,” Anunoby said. “Be supportive, talk to my teammates, tell them what I’m seeing, and still help.”

Part of that support is watching film and pointing out little things his teammates are not doing or what teams are doing to the Knicks and trying to get them to incorporate it.

Anunoby’s 23 minutes was good, but head coach Mike Brown was hoping to extend his forward even longer, but the score dictated he empty his bench. Brown did allow Anunoby to play with the reserves as the rest sat on the bench, watching for most of the fourth quarter.

“It was tough because you always wonder… you get a big lead, you don’t want anybody to get hurt. But we needed to get OG some game minutes to work on his conditioning,” Brown explained. “He looked good for the time he was out there. I would have loved to get him 25-26 minutes, but 22-23 worked good enough, especially with the way we had the lead tonight.”

Anunoby says he’ll need just a couple of game to feel like he’s in game shape, and he’ll definitely need his conditioning when the Knicks welcome a physical Magic team to the Garden on Sunday.