Knicks Injuries: Julius Randle's Game 1 Status vs. Cavs Revealed

The New York Knicks appear to be on pace for Julius Randle's return when they tip off their NBA Playoff trip on Saturday against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Kevin Jairaj, USA TODAY SPORTS

The All-Stars are shining bright as the NBA Playoffs get underway ... and one more might be ready to take the floor in the opener between the New York Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers. 

Per SNY's Ian Begley, Randle will take to the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse floor when the Knicks open their postseason journey against the Cavs on Saturday evening (6 p.m. ET, MSG/ESPN). He is officially listed as questionable on the Knicks' injury report entering the contest.

Barring an unexpected issue during his pre-game warmups, NYK’s Julius Randle will play in Game 1 vs Cavs, per SNY sources. Randle would be playing for first time since his left ankle sprain in late March. ESPN earlier reported that there was ‘a lot of optimism’ Randle would play

— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) April 15, 2023

While Begley says that Randle's status will ultimately be determined by avoiding disaster during pregame warm-ups, it's the surest and most optimistic update concerning Randle's status as he prepares for both his second metropolitan playoff appearance and his return to the floor after leaving a late March win over Miami early with an ankle injury. 

The injury cost Randle the final five games of the Knicks' regular season, though a good number of those games meant nothing after the team locked itself into both the fifth Eastern Conference seed and a matchup with the Cavs. Randle, who appeared in his second All-Star Game as a member of the Knicks back in February, averaged a career-best 25.1 points in 77 appearances this season as well as 10 rebounds.

Randle will look to atone for a tough showing in his postseason debut: in a five-game loss to the Atlanta Hawks in 2021, Randle averaged 18 points but shot worse than 30 percent from the field.

[[UPDATE: 5:25 p.m. ET]]: The Knicks have confirmed that Randle will play and is in the starting lineup on Saturday night.

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Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags

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