Knicks feature two Kentucky basketball stars vs. Cavaliers
Two of the New York Knicks’ brightest stars are former Kentucky Wildcats. Leading scorer Julius Randle revitalized his career after a down year in 2021-22. Randle was an all-star selection this February and is averaging a career of 25.1 points per game.
One of a few scoring options on the Knicks, Randle looks on track to play in game 1 on Saturday. This was in question, as the forward had been dealing with an ankle injury for the past few weeks. However, our friends over at Daily Knicks say he is targeting a return to the court for the first game of the series.
Should Randle be healthy for a series against the Cavs, he will be one of the biggest-name basketball players to watch in the playoffs.
Immanuel Quickley is the other former Kentucky star in this game. Quickley also had a career year, posting his best averages in points, rebounds, and field goal percentage in three years in the NBA.
Quickley’s good play has also been noticed by folks around the league. He’s a finalist for the NBA’s 6th Man of the Year. Malcolm Brogdon and Bobby Portis are the other two finalists.
With Julius Randle’s health in question, Quickley may be a player the Knicks need to step up throughout this series. He can score in bunches when called upon, with five 30-point games, and one 40-point outing this season.
As for the series at hand, the Knicks and Cavs start things off on Saturday.
- Game 1: Knicks at Cavaliers, Apr. 15, 6 p.m. on ESPN
- Game 2: Knicks at Cavaliers, Apr. 18, 7:30 p.m. on TNT
- Game 3: Cavaliers at Knicks, Apr. 21, 8:30 p.m. on ABC
- Game 4: Cavaliers at Knicks, Apr. 23, 1 p.m. on ABC
- Game 5: Knicks at Cavaliers, Apr. 26, TBD
- Game 6: Cavaliers at Knicks, Apr. 28, TBD
- Game 7: Knicks at Cavaliers, Apr. 30, TBD