CLEVELAND — Not surprisingly, it will be a game-time decision.
The Knicks weren’t likely to be definitive with Julius Randle’s status until they absolutely had to be, so as expected, their leading scorer officially has been listed as questionable for Game 1 of their first-round playoff series against the Cavaliers on Saturday.
Still, the two-time All-Star forward has been “steadily improving” and is “targeting a return” in the series opener, according to ESPN, and he’ll test his sprained left ankle during pregame warm-ups before making a final decision.
Randle sat out the final five games of the regular season after suffering the injury against the Heat on March 29 at Madison Square Garden.
He returned to “parts of practice” earlier this week, according to Tom Thibodeau on Thursday, with no media availability on Friday’s travel day.
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Cavaliers big man Jarrett Allen seemed surprised when asked about the possibility of Randle not playing, adding the Cavs have been preparing as if the Knicks will have their leading scorer (25.1 points per game) and rebounder (10.0) in the lineup.
“Uhhh, is that a thing? OK,” Allen told reporters on Thursday. “I guess that just shows that we’re prepared either way. I mean, anything can happen. He could play, he could not play. I guess we’re not ready if he doesn’t play, but we have things set up to how they should be.”
One of the late-season games Randle missed was a Knicks victory over the Cavs on March 31 in which Jalen Brunson scored a career-high 48 points.
Obi Toppin, Josh Hart and possibly second-year center Jericho Sims would replace Randle’s minutes if he’s unable to play Saturday night, with Game 2 slated for Tuesday.
