Detroit – Og Anunoby was faithful to his word.
He defended Runningham’s gift well in game 1, but then he had problems in game 2 Axis Cunningham broke out for 33 points in 11 of 21 shots from the field.
Anunoby said after that game that the Pistons “made some settings” when establishing the screen after the screen on it, some of which said they were “illegal”, to get it out of Cunningham.
Anunoby promised that he and his teammates “would make some settings of our elements.”
Hey, he certainly did.
Anunoby did a much better job sailing for all those screens in the victory of game 3 118-116 of the Knicks over the Pistons Thorsday Night in Little Caesars Arena.
When he could cross a screen, Mikal Bridges changed to help Anunoby.
“He is a great player,” said coach Tom Thibodeau about Cunningham. “He presses you a lot. What I like about both and Mikal is that they stay with him. You have to have a determination. Sometimes you can defend [Cunningham] Perfectly, and he can do [the shot]. I think the team has to be in tune with what you are trying to do too. But you must also be aware of your ability to pass, you have to cover the 3 -point line. “
Cunningham ended with 24 points, designed in a difficult shot of 10 of 25 from the field.
He had 11 assists, but also a game of six ball losses.
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He was getting into the painting at will in game 2, constantly beating Anunoby and other defenders of the dribbling Knicks.
But they did a better job by pressing Cunningham on the perimeter and keeping it in front of them.
“It’s really harmful,” Tibodeau said about Anunoby. “What really triggers many of those things is the pressure of the ball. I thought Mithch [Robinson] Cool Us Great Ball Pressing. OG says he plays very well. It has a great anticipation, and you can invite passes and then reach it. When you get those ball losses, particularly those live ball losses, that offends you easy. You need those easy baskets. We mark 118. That is a large number. That’s when we are at our best. “
Anunoby also added 22 points on the offensive.
And stayed faithful to his message after the game.
“We made adjustments,” Anunoby said. “I am sure they will make adjustments again, we will also make adjustments. I will only see the movie, see what we can improve, try to be better.”
