Toronto Raptors forward OG Anunoby, who underwent an emergency appendectomy April 12, was surprisingly listed as questionable for Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday.
Anunoby has missed Toronto’s entire playoff run after taking ill just before the postseason began.
Coach Nick Nurse said Monday he thought Anunoby was about 10 days away from being able to play, a timetable that would have put him in line for a potential return for Game 4 on June 7 against the Golden State Warriors in Oakland, Calif.
“It’s been hard not being able to play,” Anunoby told reporters Wednesday. “But I’ve still been just supporting my team. Just watching a lot of film and watching the guys play. I’m learning a lot.”
Anunoby said his appendix burst before surgery and that there were complications due to infection.
“It was bad luck, bad timing, but you can’t control it,” he said.
Anunoby, a defensive-minded player who was the No. 23 pick in the 2017 NBA Draft out of Indiana, averaged 7.0 points, 2.9 rebounds and 20.2 minutes in 67 regular-season games in 2018-19.
–Field Level Media
