By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
The New York Knicks will be in for a tough final NBA stretch of the regular season after superstar scorer Julius Randle will be out for at least two weeks due to a sprained ankle injury.
New York confirmed the latest update on Randle last March 31, 2023, after their power forward landed on Bam Adebayo’s foot when he soared for a rebound during their 101-92 victory over the Miami Heat last Thursday.
Randle immediately grabbed his left ankle seconds after the sequence and failed to return to the game in the whole second half.
The Knicks added that Randle will be re-evaluated once his window of recovery lapses and will also have the chance of missing a couple of games when the NBA playoffs kick off next month.
New York is currently sitting at the no. 5 spot of the Eastern Conference with a 44-33 win-loss record and is hoping to rake all games against Cleveland, Washington, Indiana, and New Orleans from April 1-10, 2023.
Behind the Knicks are the Brooklyn Nets, Miami Heat, and the Atlanta Hawks which are also in a must-win situation to enter the playoff picture and avoid the play-in stage.
Randle has been a beast for the Knicks and is their current top scorer, averaging 25.1 points and 10 rebounds per game.
The former University of Kentucky big man was on a tear before injuring his ankle, proof is his incredible 59-game streak of scoring in double figures which started last November 22, 2022, against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Randle also scored 57 points against the Minnesota Timberwolves last March 21, 2023, converting 19 of his 29 total attempts from the field built from eight made threes.
With the loss of Randle in their final regular season push, New York will be banking on the offensive prowess of Jalen Brunson who also missed several games this season due to a right-hand sprain.
