The Knicks beat the Heat on Wednesday night, but they suffered a big loss in the process.
The team announced Thursday that All-Star Julius Randle, who left Wednesday’s game after rolling his ankle in the first half, suffered a sprained left ankle and will be re-evaluated in two weeks.
The regular season ends on Sunday, April 9, which is less than two weeks away, meaning Randle’s availability for the start of the postseason is now officially in doubt, and his regular season is over. The NBA playoffs begin on April 15, with the play-in tournament concluding the day before.
Randle looked to be in serious pain after rolling his ankle, and had to push himself to shoot his subsequent free throws before leaving the game.
The Knicks will have to clinch a playoff spot and hold onto the fifth seed without Randle, who is averaging 25.1 points and 10.0 rebounds per game this season.
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