Knicks’ Anunoby returns after 9-game absence

CHICAGO — Knicks guard OG Anunoby is in the starting lineup for Friday’s game against the Chicago Bulls, returning for his first game since March 16.

Anunoby had missed the last nine games with lingering discomfort in his right elbow.

The Knicks are 15-2 when Anunoby, who was acquired in a mid-season trade with the Toronto Raptors, appears in game for them this season. However, he’s played in just three games since Jan. 27.

“Length, wing defender, versatility offensively, the ability to shoot the ball and move without the ball,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said before the game on what Anunoby adds to the team. “He can guard multiple positions. He can play multiple positions offensively. He does a little bit of everything. He does it well.”

New York enters Friday’s games as the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference, but trailing the Cleveland Cavaliers by a 1/2 game for the No. 3 seed.