The New York Knicks will face a familiar foe on Tuesday night as they clash with the Atlanta Hawks, who knocked them out in the first round of the playoffs in 2020-21. Both teams are out of the playoff picture at the moment, with the Knicks losing three of their last five games. For a big matchup that will have implications for the play-in race, is Julius Randle playing vs Hawks?

Is Julius Randle Playing vs Hawks

It appears that Randle will miss his third game of the season on Tuesday due to a sore quadriceps tendon. Per Ian Begley:

Randle has played in 69 of the Knicks' 71 games in 2021-22, but things aren't going to plan. After a massive campaign last season, the former Kentucky standout is averaging almost five points less per game and shooting just 30% from downtown as opposed to around 40% a year ago.

Randle's struggles are very evident right now as well, scoring 13 and 18 points in each of his last two games. On Sunday against Utah, frustrations boiled over for him after the loss, getting into a scuffle with Rudy Gobert. There have been numerous occasions where Randle has lost his cool this season, which likely comes back to the way he's playing.

I'm sure Randle would've loved to be healthy for this matchup because the Hawks absolutely terrorized the Knicks in the playoffs and the 27-year-old was downright poor on the big stage. The play-in honestly feels like a long shot though with New York five games behind Atlanta for 10th place, but a win would definitely help. Expect RJ Barrett to really step up and carry the load.

So, is Julius Randle playing tonight? The answer is no.