NYK 119, TOR 92: OG Anunoby Has Monster Night: 61.1 Yahoo FP
Sarah Kowalski
Orthopedic Nurse ยท Milwaukee Bucks fan
Knicks Dismantle Raptors 119-92: OG Anunoby Goes Supernova While Brunson Struggles
The Knicks walked into Toronto and turned this into a blowout, which is honestly the last thing fantasy managers needed on a Wednesday night. Jalen Brunson was supposed to carry the load, Karl-Anthony Towns was supposed to rebound volume, and instead a pair of wing players decided to remind everyone why the Knicks are still dangerous. Let's break down who actually showed up.
Top Performers
| Player | ESPN FP | Yahoo FP | Tonight | Season Avg | +/- Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OG Anunoby | 76.0 | 61.1 | 26/3/5 | 16.0/5.4/2.3 | +10.0 |
| Brandon Ingram | 50.0 | 44.2 | 27/6/2 | 21.7/5.9/3.7 | +5.3 |
| Mikal Bridges | 56.0 | 41.2 | 30/1/4 | 16.0/4.3/4.2 | +14.0 |
| Josh Hart | 48.0 | 41.0 | 22/5/6 | 12.1/7.8/5.2 | +9.9 |
| Karl-Anthony Towns | 29.0 | 38.4 | 8/22/2 | 20.2/11.6/2.9 | -12.2 |
| Scottie Barnes | 30.0 | 34.5 | 17/10/5 | 19.4/8.3/5.6 | -2.4 |
| RJ Barrett | 21.0 | 28.1 | 14/8/3 | 18.8/5.2/3.5 | -4.8 |
| Collin Murray-Boyles | 27.0 | 26.0 | 4/5/4 | 7.7/5.1/2.0 | -3.7 |
| Sandro Mamukelashvili | 26.0 | 24.3 | 9/4/1 | 11.1/5.1/2.0 | -2.1 |
| Jalen Brunson | 15.0 | 19.2 | 13/1/4 | 27.6/3.2/6.0 | -14.6 |
OG Anunoby Goes Off (61.1 Yahoo FP)
OG Anunoby wasn't supposed to be the story here. The dude averages 16 points and barely touches the ball in the assists game, but he came out and dropped 26 points on 11-18 shooting with 6 steals. That's the kind of line that makes you check the box score twice. He crushed his season average by 10 points and went nuclear from an efficiency standpoint, which matters because OG isn't usually a high-volume scorer in this Knicks offense.
This is a one-game spike. Don't trade your whole squad to acquire him thinking he's suddenly going to average 26 PPG. But if you have him on your bench, he's a legitimate fantasy asset when the Knicks need scoring and the matchup is favorable. Toronto's perimeter defense was not having it tonight.
Mikal Bridges The Forgotten All-NBA (41.2 Yahoo FP)
Mikal Bridges was an All-NBA selection last year and somehow feels like he flies under the radar in a lot of leagues. Tonight he reminded people why: 30 points on 12-15 shooting with 4 threes is the kind of efficient, clean performance that wins games. He was +14 from his scoring average, which tells you the Raptors had no answer for him on the wing.
The bigger story is that Bridges is doing this consistently. He's an All-NBA player who gets volume looks and doesn't force it. He's a league-winner in the second half of your draft.
The KAT Paradox (38.4 Yahoo FP)
Here's where it gets weird. Karl-Anthony Towns shot 3-11 from the field and scored only 8 points, but pulled down 22 rebounds and still put up 38.4 Yahoo points. This is the beauty and frustration of owning KAT. On a night when his jumper doesn't fall, the boards become his escape hatch. He's worth owning purely because of games like this, where a terrible shooting night becomes a respectable fantasy night because of rebounding volume.
That said, this isn't sustainable as a positive trade-off. When KAT is playing well offensively, he's a league-winner. When he's ice cold, you're banking on garbage rebounding nights. The Knicks are getting plenty of bench minutes tonight because they blew this thing out by halftime, which actually helped his rebounding chances. Don't expect this formula to work when games are closer.
Brunson's Quiet Night (19.2 Yahoo FP)
Jalen Brunson was an All-NBA second-teamer last year, which makes a 13-point, 4-assist night look like a flop on paper. But context matters here. The Knicks had a 27-point lead at one point, so Brunson checked out early and stayed on the bench. This wasn't a performance issue, it was a blowout management issue.
The 5-13 shooting line does sting though. He was off rhythm all night. If you own Brunson, this isn't a cause for concern, but it's a reminder that even All-NBA guys struggle sometimes. The Raptors' perimeter defense actually gave him problems early, and the Knicks never let him get into a rhythm because they were already running away with it.
Josh Hart Keeps Doing Josh Hart Things (41.0 Yahoo FP)
Josh Hart is the definition of a role player who plays above his role description. He had 22 points and 6 assists on 7-11 shooting with 4 threes from the power forward spot. He's efficient, he's active, he doesn't take up a ton of scoring volume, and he just keeps producing. Hart is one of those guys who doesn't make ESPN top-10 lists but shows up in your league's waiver wire goldmines every season.
The Raptors' Collapse
On the Toronto side, Brandon Ingram did everything he could with 27 points and 6 rebounds, leading all Raptors scorers. The problem is when your best player is putting up 27 and your team still loses by 27, something went sideways fast. Scottie Barnes chipped in 17/10/5 and still couldn't stem the bleeding. RJ Barrett had 14 points but couldn't get his shot to fall consistently (3-13).
This was a situation where one team just had it clicking and the other didn't. From a fantasy perspective, don't panic on the Raptors' stars. But watch the next game carefully to see if this was a one-off bad shooting night or a bigger concern.
Bottom Line
OG Anunoby has a breakout game but it's not a trend yet. Mikal Bridges is just being Mikal Bridges. KAT got saved by rebounding volume on an off night. Brunson gets a pass due to blowout minutes. Hold what you've got, don't panic, and move on to the next one.