The Knicks are in the middle of NBA playoff seeding. Can Julius Randle and OG Anunoby return in time for an extra push?
Julius Randle of the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden last Sunday. Credit: Jim McIsaac
While the injury-depleted Knicks were losing their third straight game in Miami on Tuesday and dropping to fifth place in the Eastern Conference, there were some interesting developments going on in Philadelphia.
Joel Embiid, who had been sidelined since Jan. 30 with a knee injury that required surgery, not only returned to the court, he came back with a vengeance. The reigning MVP scored 24 points, including 10 in the fourth quarter, to lead the 76ers to a win over Oklahoma City.
UPDATE: Knicks' Julius Randle will have season-ending shoulder surgery and miss the playoffs
Take note, Knicks fans. In a matter of two hours on Tuesday, Embiid’s listing on the 76ers injury report went from out to questionable to he’s back in the starting lineup. At the same time, Philadelphia’s prospects went from a play-in team that might not go far in the playoffs to one that — with some luck and health — could end up in the Eastern Conference Finals.
The 76ers, who had dropped from third in the East to eighth in Embiid’s absence, decided the time was now. The question now is when will the Knicks do the same.
No one knows how close Julius Randle and OG Anunoby are to returning to the court. The Knicks’ lack of transparency over injuries has led to massive and constant conjecture as fans and reporters try to decipher every player and coach injury comment like they were tea leaves.
Randle hasn’t been cleared for contact on the right shoulder he dislocated on Jan. 27. Anunoby, who apparently now is suffering from tennis elbow, will miss his ninth straight game against the Kings Thursday.
Here’s one thing you can say for sure: If Randle and Anunoby are close but the Knicks are keeping them in bubble wrap for the playoffs, they could be costing themselves both home-court advantage and the ability to avoid the play-in.
That’s just how precarious a position the Knicks find themselves in right now.
Heading into Wednesday night’s slate of games, the fifth-place Knicks are in clear danger of falling into the play-in as they have just a 1 1⁄2-game lead over the sixth-place Pacers and a two-game lead on the seventh-place Heat.
At the same time, the East is so tightly packed that heading into Wednesday’s play, the Knicks are only 1 1⁄2 games behind the third-place Cavaliers.
So, the good news is if the Knicks can right the ship quickly, they are in a good position. The bad news is that the upcoming schedule isn’t doing them any favors.
The Knicks (44-31) play their last seven games in 11 days beginning with Thursday’s game against Sacramento at Madison Square Garden. The Kings are both fighting to get out of their seventh-place play-in position in the West and motivated to pay the Knicks back for beating them on their home court last month.
It doesn’t get any better after that. The Knicks will get on a plane for Chicago for a Friday night game against the Bulls. While the Knicks will be playing a back-to-back, the play-in destined Bulls will have had three full days off. The Knicks follow that with a Sunday game at Milwaukee, which is fighting to stay in second place in the East, before returning to Chicago for a game on Tuesday and then to Boston to face the NBA’s best team next Thursday.
“Everyone has something to lose,” Donte DiVincenzo said of the teams jockeying for playoff positioning. “So you can’t let up. You have to be locked in and ready to go.”
Otherworldly performances by Jalen Brunson have kept the Knicks from already dropping into the play-in, but he clearly looked exhausted in Miami. The Knicks have no choice but to continue to play him heavy minutes down the stretch.
Of course, if reinforcements are on the precipice of returning, it might be time to start peeling back the bubble wrap.
Barbara Barker is an award-winning columnist and features writer in the sports department at Newsday. She has covered sports in New York for more than 20 years.
