Knicks Injuries: Julius Randle Leaves Game vs. Miami After Ankle Roll
The basketball gods giveth ... and taketh away.
On a night when Jalen Brunson returned to the Madison Square Garden floor in one of the most important games of the season, the New York Knicks are nonetheless forced to hold their breath after Julius Randle exited the first half of a contest against the Miami Heat with an apparent left ankle injury.
The medical incident occurred with just under three minutes remaining in the second quarter. Randle secured a rebound off a missed Immanuel Quickley three but rolled his ankle when he landed on the sneaker of Bam Adebayo. After writhing in pain and trying to walk the injury off ... briefly requiring the assistance of the medical staff to walk ... Randle took two free throws awarded with the Knicks in the bonus, sinking the second.
The Knicks (43-33) then intentionally fouled to get Randle out of the game. Randle immediately went to the tunnel leading to the home team locker room where trainers attended to him.
Though Randle was struggling against the Heat (3 points on 1-of-5 shooting and two turnovers), the Knicks' success has undoubtedly propelled them into automatic playoff territory in the Eastern Conference. He entered Wednesday's game averaging a double-double (25.4 points, 10 rebounds) and earned his second All-Star nomination in three seasons. Randle is one of two Knicks (along with Isaiah Hartenstein) to appear in all 77 games so far this season and he is second in the league in minutes played, behind only Mikal Bridges of Brooklyn.
A win over the Heat would more or less lock the Knicks among the top six: they'd be three games up on seventh-place Miami, the current top seed in the Eastern Play-In Tournament. The hypothetical victory would also give the Knicks the season series victory at 3-1, which would break any tie with the Heat.
New York leads Miami 48-46 at halftime.
[[UPDATE: 9:00 p.m. ET]]: The Knicks confirmed that Randle has a sprained ankle and will not return to Wednesday's game.
Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags
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