AS THE NEW YORK KNICKS took the court Monday afternoon against the first-place Minnesota Timberwolves, there was no doubt which player would be taking on the challenge of guarding Anthony Edwards.
Edwards, one of the league's brightest young stars, is precisely the kind of strong and physical scoring wing that Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau's teams have struggled to contain throughout his tenure.
But prior to Monday, Thibodeau's Knicks hadn't had a player like OG Anunoby. And, as the game tipped off, it was Anunoby who was glued to Edwards. (Anunoby defended Edwards for a team-high 34 half-court matchups, allowing just four shot attempts.) Then, just over two minutes into the game and New York on offense, the ball found itself in Anunoby's hands in the corner.
In the league's top five in made corner 3s, he let it fly, with the shot nestling in the bottom of the net to a huge ovation from Madison Square Garden fans.