How did OG Anunoby play in his first game back for the Raptors?

Author Photo
OG Anunoby (Toronto Raptors)

The Toronto Raptors welcomed back OG Anunoby to the lineup after missing a month of action.

The 24-year-old  was sidelined with a hip pointer suffered by colliding with a teammate during practice on Nov. 17, causing him to miss the past 13 games, which the Raptors went 6-7.

NBA League Pass: Sign up to unlock live out-of-market games (7-day free trial)

Prior to going down with the injury, Anunoby was enjoying a breakout campaign for the Raptors, averaging a team-high 20.1 points and 5.4 rebounds per game while shooting 43.0 percent from the field and 36.6 percent from the 3-point line, knocking down 2.7 triples a night. 

In his first outing back on the floor against the short-handed Golden State Warriors, he logged 28 minutes in their comfortable 119-100 win at Scotiabank Arena.

MEDICAL ANALYSIS: Anunoby returns from injury

For more on his return, we have you covered below.

How did OG Anunoby play in his first game back?

It was a slow start for Anunoby, who missed his first three field goals, going scoreless in the opening quarter, before draining his first bucket of the game with 7:23 remaining in the second, connecting on a turnaround jumper.

In a game the Raptors were in control of from start to finish, he struggled to impose himself offensively as Fred VanVleet (27 points) and Scottie Barnes (21 points) did the bulk of the damage for Toronto, however, he did look sharp on the defensive end, staying in front of his man and using his length and athleticism to help slow down the Warriors.

Anunoby missed all three of his 3-point attempts but did find some success with the free-throw line jumpers, connecting on another in the fourth quarter. 

He finished the night with seven points, three rebounds, two assists and one steal on 3-of-8 shooting from the field and 0-of-3 from beyond the arc. 

“I thought he looked really good, and that’s a good sign,” head coach Nick Nurse said postgame.

Raptors next five games

Date Opponent Time (ET) Location
Dec. 20 vs. Magic 7:30 p.m. Scotiabank Arena
Dec. 22 at Bulls 8:00 p.m. United Center
Dec. 26 at Cavs 6:00 p.m. Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse
Dec. 28 vs. 76ers 7:30 p.m. Scotiabank Arena
Dec. 31 vs. Clippers 7:30 p.m. Scotiabank Arena

The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NBA or its clubs.

Author(s)
Benyam Kidane Photo

Benyam Kidane is a senior NBA editor for The Sporting News.