ATLANTA — Karl-Anthony Towns received more plaudits than OG Anunoby.
That’s to be expected given Anunoby’s quiet personality.
But his impact has been loud.
He had a terrific all-around showing in the Knicks’ 114-98 Game 4 win over the Hawks on Saturday night at State Farm Arena.
He recorded a game-high 22 points on 9-for-16 shooting from the field — and 3-for-6 shooting from 3-point range — along with 10 rebounds. He was a game-best plus-19.
Anunoby’s strong effort in Game 3 went a bit under the radar given the Knicks lost. But across these past two games, Anunoby shot a combined 7-for-14 from 3-point range.
“Just shooting no matter if I’m contested or not contested,” Anunoby said. “I work very hard on my game, so I always think it’s going in.”
Anunoby drilled back-to-back 3s in the second quarter Saturday as the Knicks extended their lead to double digits. His scoring was a steady presence the whole game — he scored six points in each of the first three quarters before finishing with four in the fourth quarter.
It’s been much more than just his shooting, though.
He spent the majority of Saturday matched up with Jalen Johnson and completely neutralized him. Johnson shot just 1-for-5 when Anunoby was guarding him, per the league’s official tracking stats.
In total, the Hawks on offense shot a combined 5-for-15 with Anunoby as the primary defender.
And he was key to the Knicks owning the glass. His rebounding numbers have been up the past two games — he had nine in Game 3.
Has that been a concerted effort?
“It’s a team effort, for sure,” Anunoby said. “We want to control the boards. And then just depending on who I’m guarding. When I’m on the perimeter, sometimes it’s harder to get rebounds. But making an emphasis on coming in, crashing the boards, helping the team finish possessions.”
With Jalen Brunson again not at his best, the Knicks needed others to step up and help carry the scoring load.
Anunoby answered the call.
