NEW YORK (AP) — OG Anunoby largely struggled through most of his return from a two-game absence, with just one basket through regulation.
Then in overtime, he proved again why he is so important to the New York Knicks' championship hopes.
Anunoby scored nine of his 13 points in overtime, helping the Knicks to a 115-104 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday night in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals.
After not playing for two weeks because of a strained right hamstring, Anunoby knew he wouldn't have his normal burst. But he kept trying to impact the game however he could.
"I was just going to play hard, be aggressive,” he said.
Anunoby was on the Knicks' opening possession of overtime, earning two free throws that gave the Knicks the lead for good. He later had a driving layup and ended up going 7 for 8 from the foul line while also leading the Knicks with three rebounds in the extra period.
“OG does so many things for us and obviously not playing and coming back from an injury, there’s going to be some level of getting back up to speed, which I’m sure he would tell you," said Landry Shamet, who had a huge contribution off the bench with nine points.
Anunoby was hurt late in Game 2 of the Knicks' second-round sweep of Philadelphia on May 6 and sat out the next two games. He returned to practice during New York's lengthy wait between rounds and fully participated during the final three practices leading into this series.
He wasn't near his postseason averages of 21.4 points while shooting 61.9% from the field and 53.8% from 3-point range, but the Knicks value the starting forward just as much if not more for his defense.
“OG gave us a lot of versatility defensively and allowed us to do different things on that end of the floor,” coach Mike Brown said.
Anunoby injured his other hamstring two years ago, also during Game 2 of the second round, missed the next four games and was able to play only five minutes in Game 7. He said the pain this time wasn't as bad.
But he wasn't playing with as much force as he was earlier in the postseason for much of the game. Once the Knicks got it to overtime, the Anunoby they expect was ready.
“I don’t think it was hesitancy," he said of his play until then. "Just as the game went on, I felt more and more like myself.”
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New York Knicks' Og Anunoby (8) plays defense during the second half of Game 1 in the Eastern Conference finals NBA basketball playoffs series against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Tuesday, May 19, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
New York Knicks forward Og Anunoby (8) fails to dunk during the first overtime of Game 1 in the Eastern Conference finals NBA basketball playoffs series against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Tuesday, May 19, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Cleveland Cavaliers' James Harden, bottom left, fouls New York Knicks' Og Anunoby during the overtime period of Game 1 in the Eastern Conference finals NBA basketball playoffs series Tuesday, May 19, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Republicans in the South Carolina House cast aside Democratic objections and endorsed a congressional redistricting plan just after midnight Tuesday, moving to give the GOP a shot at winning an additional seat in the November midterm elections.
The redistricting plan, urged on by President Donald Trump, would reshape the state's only Democratic-held U.S. House district to the Republicans' advantage as part of a broader national effort to retain the party's slim House majority in the fall.
Four Republicans voted against the bill after a 14-hour session that included reading the bill and all the Census data creating the maps for over three hours.
The bill now heads to the more skeptical state Senate, where some Republicans have questioned whether redistricting could backfire — making districts competitive enough for Democrats to gain seats instead of securing all seven for the GOP.
Trump had urged South Carolina to redraw its congressional districts ahead of November amid a fast-closing window to complete the work. Early primary voting starts May 26. If the proposal ultimately becomes law, South Carolina would delay its U.S. House primaries until later in the summer and spend at least $3 million on another statewide election — and likely face lawsuits against a new map.
“To President Trump," said Republican Rep. Luke Rankin who sponsored the bill. "I have your back and South Carolina Republicans have your back.”
Democratic U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn, whose seat is targeted, has said he will continue running for an 18th term even if his district gets changed.
During Tuesday's debate, Democrats praised Clyburn's work on behalf of the state and repeatedly objected to plans to reshape his district. Republicans repeatedly rejected their amendments.
“What you all are doing is wrong,” said Democratic state Rep. JA Moore, adding: “You can justify it, rationalize it, but it’s wrong.”
Republican state Rep. Melissa Oremus accused Democrats of “fear-mongering” for raising concerns about the potential impact on Black voters, asserting: “People are not being blocked from voting because of the color of their skin.”
To buy time for any new map to be implemented, the South Carolina legislation would remove U.S. House races from the June primaries and instead set a special primary election in August to select candidates. Some absentee and overseas military votes that already have been cast for Congress would be tossed out.
Other Southern states have pursued a similar approach as they rush to redraw U.S. House districts following a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision that struck down a majority-Black district in Louisiana as an illegal racial gerrymander and significantly weakened Voting Rights Act protections for minority districts.
Louisiana’s congressional primaries, scheduled for last Saturday, were postponed until later this summer by Republican Gov. Jeff Landry to allow time for new districts to be drawn.
Primary election ballots were being cast Tuesday in Alabama. But the state plans to void the results in four of the seven U.S. House districts and instead hold special primaries Aug. 11 for those districts under different boundaries. The revised districts could help Republicans win an additional seat in November.
All told, Republicans think they could win as many as 15 additional seats from revised US. House districts in seven states so far, while Democrats think they could gain up to six seats from new House districts in two states. That tally could change, though, as litigation continues in several states. Voters ultimately will decide whether those projections hold up.
The ramifications could extend beyond government and politics.
The NAACP on Tuesday called on Black athletes and fans to boycott the athletic programs of public universities in states that “have moved to limit, weaken or erase Black voting representation.” The campaign specifically calls out Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina and Texas — though new voting districts have not yet been enacted in all of those places.
Democratic state Rep. John King echoed the boycott call from the House floor, urging Black athletes to instead attend one of the South Carolina's historically Black colleges.
“You cannot gerrymander away Black political power on Monday, then expect Black athletes to sell out your stadiums on Saturday,” King said.
After Democrats had debated the proposed changes for hours on Monday, the Republican-controlled chamber changed the rules for Tuesday by limiting members to only one amendment and setting time limits for speeches.
Republicans swiftly dismissed Democratic amendments. They asked almost no questions before voting down proposals for voter education about moving primaries, to have the state pay all local costs for a rescheduled congressional primary, to move the general election back two weeks, and nearly three dozen other proposals.
During his 10 minutes of allotted speech time, Democratic state Rep. Jermaine Johnson talked about his grandfather, a Black soldier in the Army who was willing to die for his country but came home to a society where he was shamed and mistreated because of the color of his skin.
“We are far beyond a lot of atrocities that my grandfather faced. But I believe in 2026 we have manifested new ways of keeping people down,” said Johnson, who is running for the open governor’s seat.
Lieb reported from Jefferson City, Missouri.
Democratic South Carolina Rep. JA Moore speaks during the redistricting debate on Tuesday. May 19, 2026, in Columbia, S.C. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Collins)
Democratic South Carolina Rep. Wendell Gillard walks back to his desk with a sign after giving a speech during the redistricting debate on Tuesday. May 19, 2026, in Columbia, S.C. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Collins)
Democratic South Carolina Rep. Leon Howard speaks during the House redistricting debate on Tuesday, May 19, 2026, in Columbia, S.C. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Collins)
Republican South Carolina Rep. Micah Caskey reads a resolution limiting debate during the House session on redistricting on Monday, May 18, 2026, in Columbia, S.C. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Collins)
Democratic South Carolina Rep. John King asks a question during the House redistricting debate on Tuesday, May 19, 2026, in Columbia, S.C. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Collins)
A sign sits on the desk of Democratic South Carolina Rep. Annie McDaniel during the House redistricting debate on Tuesday, May 19, 2026, in Columbia, S.C. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Collins)
Democratic South Carolina Rep. Kambrell Garvin presents his version of a map for new congressional districts during the House session on redistricting on Monday, May 18, 2026, in Columbia, S.C. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Collins)
