Knicks Laugh Off OG Anunoby Dunk Delay

The only truly capable of stopping the New York Knicks' offensive dominance on Saturday night was the Knicks themselves.

New York had to be a little patient when it comes to earning their latest victory, a 143-120 shellacking of the Sacramento Kings at Madison Square Garden. OG Anunoby led the Manhattanites with 33 points and always seemed to have an offensive answer when the pesky Kings tried to inch their way back into the ball game.

Knicks Kings game stopped after OG Anunoby hangs on basket pic.twitter.com/g1Xr89dMbz
— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) January 26, 2025

Anunoby literally appeared to bring the house down after one showstopping dunk in the second half: shortly after the slam, which increased the Knicks' lasting lead, the game endured a 10-minute pause after the rim appeared to be crooked after the 240-lb. Anunoby hung on the rim following his dazzling double.

MSG maintenance workers thus briefly took center stage, breaking out ladders and rulers to measure the basket, which turned out to be aligned despite his force. The game resumed after the net was on the other end was likewise analyzed with, once again, no issues reported.

Josh Hart hardly waited to find a guilty party in the aftermath, jokingly blaming Mikal Bridges after his past and present teammate felt something was amiss when he prepared to take free throws in the fourth quarter.

“[Bridges] was the only one who thought it was crooked,” Hart said with a smirk, per Stefan Bondy of the New York Post. “He has bad vision anyway, so I think that’s part of it.”

A stop for a measurement was the only thing stalling the Knicks (30-16), who put forth one of their most dominant offensive efforts in recent memory. Each of the team's five starters had at least 18 points and the final tally of 143 is the best that the Knicks have had in a Garden game since December 2019. New York also secured its first three-game winning streak of the new year, its first since winning nine in a row between Dec. 15 and Jan. 1.

Head coach Tom Thibodeau praised the way that the Knicks didn't let the delay throw off their groove: Bridges sunk his free throws as part of a 27-point performance and his team outscored Sacramento by 12 in the fourth quarter to secure the interconference victory.

Knicks Kings — Jan 25, 2025; New York, New York, USA; A member of the Madison Square Garden maintenance crew works on one of the rims during a stoppage of play in the fourth quarter of a game between the New York Knicks and the Sacramento Kings. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

“That’s an NBA game," Thibodeau said, per Bondy. "It looked like there may have been a dunk that knocked it off a little bit and it seemed like it was down a little. But when they hung on it a little bit and it looked like it snapped back and it looked like it was fine. Stuff happens, you just deal with it.”

The Knicks will stay at home as a parade of Western Conference foes continue to waltz through MSG, as they'll face the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday night (7:30 p.m. ET, MSG).

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