Knicks Got Two-Way Brilliance From OG Anunoby in Game 1

Forced to face New York Knicks defensive stalwart OG Anunoby in his maiden postseason voyage, Cade Cunningham, the franchise face of the Detroit Pistons, sputtered on Saturday night.

Anunoby once again lived up to every penny of the $212 million contract the Knicks bestowed him last summer, keeping up a two-way tear in the 123-112 postseason-opening victory over the Detroit Pistons. In addition to 23 points, Anunoby corralled Cunningham in stirring fashion, forcing the top pick of the 2021 draft to take 21 shots to reach 21 points.

While both Anunoby and Cunningham attempted to downplay the impact of their matchup, those in the victorious locker room were more than willing to recognize Anunoby's efforts in the wake of a statement victory.

“OG Anunoby, man. He’s a hell of a player,” lauded Josh Hart, per Jared Schwartz of the New York Post. “OG loves those kinds of matchups, especially in the playoffs when you can be physical. He’s a physical guy, able to get through screens and those kinds of things. We need his offense obviously, but more importantly his defense.”

The Knicks had healthy helpings of both in Saturday's postseason opener: New York's slim halftime lead of 57-55 may have been solely created by Anunoby's offensive antics, as he scored a Knicks-best 19 points before intermission and limited Cunningham to 3-of-10 from the field, forcing Tobias Harris to accept the Pistons' scoring load over the first 24.

To his credit, Cunningham was able to break out well enough that he ended the night with a double-double, dishing out 12 assists that were evenly distributed between halves. But the shooting issues stifled Detroit's efforts to build a lasting lead, as the Pistons never led by more than nine before the Knicks took permanent control thanks to a run of 21 consecutive fourth quarter points mostly earned by either Jalen Brunson or Cameron Payne.

Knicks Pistons — Apr 19, 2025; New York, New York, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) looks to drive past New York Knicks forward OG Anunoby (8) in Game One of the First Round of the NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

Knicks reps praised Anunoby for indirectly setting the table for the takeover, which likely wouldn't have been possible had he not shut down Detroit's most potent threat.

"I think it was great the way OG played. It's really tough to do that, to play like that," Brunson said in video from SNY. "It's a lot of props to him. He stepped up to the challenge and we're happy he did."

Saturday marked the latest example of two-way trappings from Anunoby, who found an offensive spark late in the regular season while Brunson recovered from an ankle injury. The second-year Knicks perhaps bolstered his coveted Defensive Player of the Year case as well, as he impressed in the conventional box score: by forcing five takeaways (five of Detroit's 21 turnovers), Anunoby became the first Knick to have such swipes in a postseason game since Pablo Prigioni in 2013.

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