Anunoby ruled out; Suns fire Vogel

NEW YORK (AFP) — The New York Knicks will be without forward OG Anunoby for Game 3 of their National Basketball Association playoff series against Indiana while Game 2 hero Jalen Brunson is “questionable” with a foot injury, the team said. Anunoby hurt his hamstring in the third quarter of the Knicks’ 130-121 victory on Wednesday, which gave New York a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinal series.

Brunson, who sat out much of the first half after suffering a foot injury in the first quarter but returned to spark a sensational second-half comeback, is also in doubt as the series against the Pacers shifts to Indianapolis.

The injuries are just the latest for the Knicks, who were already without star Julius Randle for the playoffs after he suffered a dislocated shoulder.

Last week Bojan Bogdanovic was ruled out for the rest of the campaign and this week center Mitchell Robinson was ruled out for at least six weeks with an ankle injury.

Knicks forward Josh Hart acknowledged Wednesday that the injuries will test the team’s “next man up” mentality — but he believes the Knicks can cope.

“We’re (not) saying it just because it sounds good. We’re actually saying it because we believe it,” Hart said. “There’s a lot of guys on this team that can start (on other teams) in this league, so when we say it, it’s not cliche.”

Meanwhile, Frank Vogel was fired as head coach of the Phoenix Suns after getting swept out of the playoffs by the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Vogel, who guided the Los Angeles Lakers to an NBA title in 2020 before being fired after the 2021-22 campaign, was hired by the Suns last June to replace the fired Monty Williams but axed after the Suns went 49-33 for the sixth seed in the Western Conference.