Knicks' Randle out rest of regular season with ankle sprain

NEW YORK (AP) — Julius Randle will miss the rest of the regular season with a sprained left ankle, and his availability for the playoffs — if the New York Knicks make it — is in doubt.

Randle was hurt Wednesday in a victory over Miami, and the Knicks said Thursday that the All-Star forward would be re-evaluated in two weeks. That would be two days before the postseason is scheduled to open on April 15.

The Knicks are in good shape to qualify for the postseason at fifth in the Eastern Conference with five games to play. But it's hard to imagine they would be a threat to advance without Randle, who leads them with 25.1 points and 10 rebounds per game.

He was hurt in the second quarter Wednesday when Bam Adebayo landed on him after Randle grabbed an offensive rebound and pump-faked the Heat center into the air. Randle stayed in to shoot free throws but then immediately left the game, limping directly to the locker room.

He has started all 77 games this season.

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