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Knicks' Julius Randle expected to miss Game 1 of Eastern Conference Semis, per report

Zack Geogheganby:Zack Geoghegan04/30/23

ZGeogheganKSR

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Photo by Kirk Irwin | Getty Images

A nagging ankle injury is likely to keep Julius Randle from taking the floor on Sunday.

Ahead of this afternoon’s Game 1 matchup between the No. 5 New York Knicks and the No. 8 Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski is reporting that an ankle injury will sideline Randle for the 1:00 p.m. EST tip on ABC in the Big Apple. Randle is dealing with a sprained left ankle that has hindered him since the end of March and caused him to miss five straight games for the Knicks to close out the regular season.

Although Randle returned to play in all five of the Knicks’ first-round games against the Cleveland Cavaliers, he re-sprained his left ankle in Game 5 of that series after just 16 minutes of in-game action. The Knicks still managed to win that game though, closing out the series 4-1.

Randle initially suffered the injury on March 29; over a month later, it’s still giving him fits.

It’s been a rough postseason so far for Randle, who is clearly feeling the effects of his bum ankle. After averaging 25.1 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 4.1 assists on 45.9 percent shooting throughout the regular season, the playoffs have not been kind to the former Kentucky Wildcat. Randle, who was named an All-Star this season for the second time in his career, has posted averages of just 14.4 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per outing on 33.8 percent shooting through his five playoff appearances.

Randle is still officially listed as questionable on the NBA’s 11:30 a.m. EST injury report and head coach Tom Thibodeau said Sunday morning that Randle is a game-time decision, but it does not sound like he’ll be ready enough to give it a go in Game 1. In spite of his poor performances so far this postseason, the Knicks sure could use his size against Bam Adebayo and the Miami Heat, which upset the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks in just five games.

This series has the potential to be a must-watch for Kentucky fans with four former ‘Cats split between the two rosters, but with Randle expected to miss Game 1 and Heat guard Tyler Herro sidelined for several more weeks with a broken hand, that leaves just Adebayo for Miami and Immanuel Quickley for New York in action.

Regardless, you’ll still want to tune in. Jimmy Butler is doing insane things with a basketball that you won’t want to miss.

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