CLEVELAND — The left ankle sprain suffered by power forward Julius Randle during the first half of the Knicks’ Game 5 win over the Cavaliers on Wednesday is not believed to as severe as the one that kept him out at the end of the regular season, per Ian Begley of SNY.tv.
Randle and the Knicks eliminated the Cavs by a 4-1 count in the series and advanced to the Eastern Conference semifinals, where they will face the Heat. Game 1 is Sunday in New York.
Randle entered the series vs. the Cavs as questionable with a sprained left ankle, and it was not determined if he would play in Game 1 until just before tipoff. He started each of the Knicks’ first 77 regular-season games, before missing the final five.
The previous ankle injury cost Randle two weeks. But again, per Begley, it appears this one is less concerning.
Randle did not have a great series vs. the Cavs, as he struggled shooting (32%) and averaged nearly 10 points less than the 25.1 points he scored during the regular season. So it’s easy to think the ankle may not have been 100%.
NYK’s Julius Randle was walking cautiously in the post-game locker room but league sources told SNY that the early impression is the sprain is not as severe as Randle’s prior ankle ailment. He missed two weeks for that previous ankle injury and returned for Game 1 of Cavs series.
— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) April 27, 2023
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