Is Julius Randle playing tonight against the Heat? Latest injury update on Knicks' star ahead of matchup (10th May 2023)
With just 3:08 left to go in the fourth, Julius Randle gets his sixth foul as he is done for the night after going strong to the basket and getting met by Heat's Max Strus, who draws the offensive foul on Randle. The New York Knicks would drop another game on the road to the Miami Heat with a score of 109-101.
Outside of the Knicks' incapability to secure rebounds for majority of the game, losing Randle was the final nail in the coffin for the road team's chances in pulling off a victory.
For Game 5 with the Knicks back in their homecourt, Julius Randle is available for the ball game as he looks to help his team in extending the series to a Game 6 in Miami.
In the three games that he's played in this second-round series against the Heat, Randle has averaged 18.3 points on 43.5% shooting, including 22.2% from three-point range, along with 11.7 rebounds and 4.3 assists. His numbers in the semi-finals round are much better than how he performed in the first-round series against the Cavaliers.
Outside of one subpar performance from Game 3, when he only scored 10 points, Julius has been much more consistent and efficient with his outings with still more room for improvement.
Julius Randle on the Knicks' rebounding issues
Following the disappointing loss on the road, Julius Randle spoke about the Knicks' lackluster effort in crashing the glass for rebounds as their season is now on the line down 3-1.
"Maybe they want it more, I don’t know,” Randle said. “That’s been who we are all year, and we’ve got to find a way to step up and make those plays if we want to keep this season alive."
In Game 4, the Knicks were outrebounded 44-35 by the Miami Heat, including 13-8 on offensive rebounds as the Heat constantly gave themselves multiple opportunities to extend possessions.
Looking at the stats sheet, Heat's Bam Adebayo made his presence known with 13 huge rebounds as he outrebounded Julius Randle's nine rebounds and Mitchell Robinson's 7 rebounds.
Securing the ball at both ends of the floor was critical for this ball game as the Knicks could have gained an advantage with the Heat's struggles from three-point range with only 33.3% shooting. Outside the struggles on the glass, the Knicks also made some mental lapses in taking care of the ball as they committed 16 sloppy turnovers to Miami's 12 turnovers.
With all of the errors and the inefficient shooting from three-point range, the Knicks have a lot to polish heading into a must-win situation at their home-court.