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OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges show they can be the Knicks defensive stoppers
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OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges show they can be the Knicks defensive stoppers

If you were waiting for a blueprint play for what the new-look Knicks want to become this season, Friday’s blowout win over the Bucks checked all the boxes.

Karl-Anthony Towns was unstoppable on offense, scoring at the rim and beyond the three-point arc.

Jalen Brunson had nine assists without committing a turnover.


OG Anunoby defends Giannis Antetokounmpo during the Knicks' win over the Bucks.
OG Anunoby defends Giannis Antetokounmpo during the Knicks’ win over the Bucks. USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con

Josh Hart, as usual, filled in several columns on the score sheet.

And most importantly, OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges took on the task of primarily guarding Milwaukee’s two scoring leaders — Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard — and held them to a total of 43 points, well below their combined average of about 59 at the start of the match.

“I thought OG and Mikal set the tone for us defensively with tough games,” coach Tom Thibodeau said after the game. “I will tell you that OG is very unique in the sense that he has power, speed and anticipation. He has a second, third effort mentality. I think that goes a long way.

“A lot of the things he does for the team really go unnoticed. But I think his teammates have a great appreciation for him. You can’t measure all the little things on every possession he makes.”

The 7-foot-2 Towns, who scored 27 of his game-high 32 points in the first half, repeatedly called Anunoby “special” and “one of the best defenders I’ve ever seen” before noting that he’s a four-time NBA star. players played. Minnesota Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert.

Brunson added that the 6-7 Anunoby, acquired from the Raptors last December, makes it look “so easy and effortless” when guarding bigger or smaller players.


Mikal Bridges defends Damian Lillard during the Knicks' win over the Bucks.
Mikal Bridges defends Damian Lillard during the Knicks’ win over the Bucks. Getty Images

“It’s the raw talent he has,” Brunson said. “The way he can guard the ball, the way he plays the ball in situations, he’s a phenomenal piece that we have. He’s been great since he got here.”

Anunoby finished the game with 14 points, six rebounds, five assists, three steals and two blocked shots in 32 minutes, in addition to his work against Antetokounmpo.

“He’s a great player, so make it as difficult as possible,” Anunoby said of the two-time league MVP. “You know he’s going to score; Just try to limit the score and don’t make him feel as comfortable as usual.

‘I’ve played long enough to know what he does. He’s a great player. So just try to make it as difficult as possible.”

Next up for the Knicks is Sunday’s visit to Indiana to take on the Pacers, who eliminated them in the second round of the playoffs last spring.

The Knicks have already defeated the Pacers once this season in their home opener last month, with Bridges primarily responsible for holding All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton scoreless on 0-for-8 shooting, including seven misses from a 3-point range.

Lillard was held to 19 points on 6 of 15 shooting in Friday’s win, tying the Knicks record at 4-4.

“Mikal takes on who the primary ballhandler is and he works on it all game and just keeps coming. I think that says a lot about him,” Thibodeau said. “And (Hart) is going to grab the loose balls and pick up the pace and do what he does. If we do that and everyone plays to their strengths and plays defense, we can be good.

“But we know now that we are too short, so we have to play very hard and bounce the ball back. We have to do that as a team. If we do that, good things will come from it.”