Julius Randle went through a lengthy pregame workout before he was ruled out of Game 1 on Sunday.
At least that’s progress after he didn’t do much in practice the previous two days.
The Knicks’ leading scorer and rebounder, dealing with an aggravated sprained left ankle, was sorely missed as the Knicks fell to the Heat, 108-101, at the Garden in the opener of the Eastern Conference semifinals.
His status for Game 2 and beyond is unclear.
“I don’t know how close [he was to playing],” coach Tom Thibodeau said after the loss. “I know he worked out before. I just trust him and the medical staff to make that decision. So plan both ways: a plan with him going and a plan if he didn’t go. So, once they make a decision, that’s it. You live with it and you gotta figure it out. We have more than enough.”
They didn’t against the Heat. In four regular season games against Miami, Randle averaged 21 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists, while shooting 41.4 percent from 3-point range.
“Anytime [someone is out], especially an All-Star, we’re gonna miss him,” RJ Barrett said. “But what happens in basketball is, you have [other guys step up]. … So next man up mentality and we have to get better.”
Quentin Grimes returned after missing the last two games of the series against the Cavaliers with a right shoulder contusion. Grimes came off the bench and scored four points in 10 minutes.
“I don’t think I lost anything. My legs could still work, so I was still doing my conditioning and stuff like that,” he said. “So I’m all good right now.”
Thibodeau only went eight-deep with Randle out.
The Heat attempted nine more free throws than the Knicks (29-20) and Thibodeau felt his team got the short end on some of the whistles.
Follow The Post’s coverage of the Knicks vs. Heat NBA playoff series
- Vaccaro: Knicks’ failure to help Brunson is why their season’s over
- Knicks battle but fall in season-ending Game 6 loss to Heat
- Knicks couldn’t survive two minutes without Brunson
- Brunson’s heroic night spoiled by late turnover
“Seems like there was a lot of contact we didn’t get,” he said.
Patrick Ewing, Pat Riley and Alonzo Mourning were among the celebrities in attendance at the Garden.
So was Aaron Rodgers, the new Jets quarterback, who also attended the Rangers’ Game 6 victory Saturday night.
Fast Break
Hero: Jimmy Butler led the victorious Heat with 25 points and 11 rebounds and remained in the game after turning his ankle in the fourth quarter, going 8-for-16 from the floor and a game-high 9-for-11 from the free-throw line.
Zero: Jalen Brunson finished with 25 points but he put the onus on himself after missing all seven 3-point attempts and committing a game-high five turnovers.
Want to catch a game? You can find tickets for all upcoming Knicks games here.
Unsung Heroes: Heat veterans Kyle Lowry and Kevin Love combined for 27 points, 10 assists, 10 rebounds and were a combined 5-for-11 from 3-point range.
Key Stat: 8-for-17
How Miami shot from 3-point range (.471) after opening the game 5-for-21 (.238) from beyond the arc through early in the second quarter.
Quote: “They finished the second quarter strong, in key moments where we needed to finish strong, be strong, [we didn’t]. That starts with me. Today I was horrific. It’s very uncharacteristic by me. This one’s on me. I got to be better, and I will be better.” — Jalen Brunson
— Peter Botte