The Knicks’ comprehensive victory over the Miami Heat was overshadowed by the potential loss of their star forward, Julius Randle, who suffered a dislocated shoulder in the closing moments of New York’s 125-109 victory on Saturday.
Randle, who recorded 19 points and nine rebounds in the win, suffered the injury with four-and-a-half minutes remaining in a game that was already well in hand. Driving to the basket for a layup, he collided with Miami’s Jaime Jaquez Jr., who slid over in an attempt to draw a charge. Randle fell to the floor, landing awkwardly on his right arm.
He immediately went down the tunnel where it appeared as though the team’s head trainer, Anthony Goenaga, was trying to pop the shoulder back into place.
“It was an, ‘oh s—t’ reaction,” Knicks guard Jalen Brunson said. “We don’t want to see that from anybody, especially him with how he’s been playing. He means a lot to us. So for him to go back there, obviously it’s not ideal.”
X-rays did not show an abundance of damage to the area, but an MRI that was scheduled for later on Saturday night would help decipher the severity of the injury. No results had been disclosed as of Sunday evening.
When asked how concerned he was following the game, though, Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau simply said, “Very.”
“You knew for him to do that [the injury could be serious],” Thibodeau said. “He’s a guy who plays through things and that’s what you love about him. He’s a warrior.”
Brunson scores 32 points, Knicks win 6th straight to send Heat to 6th straight loss 125-109
Randle’s injury throws a wrench into what had been a Knicks cruise over the last month. Since acquiring OG Anunoby, New York has won 12 of 14 games, rising to the fourth in the Eastern Conference. It is just one game behind the third-place Philadelphia 76ers thanks to this run, which included a 122-84 drubbing of the defending NBA champions, the Denver Nuggets.
Over his last 16 games, Randle has been one of the Knicks’ most important talismans alongside Brunson — who continues his emergence as a star — averaging 25.9 points and 8.8 rebounds per game on 48.7% shooting from the field. He’s posted averages of 24 points and 9.2 rebounds this season.
