Hawks vs. Knicks Tuesday NBA injury report, spread, odds: Julius Randle out for New York in near-elimination game

The New York Knicks most likely will not be making the Eastern Conference play-in tournament this year, and they surely will not if they lose at home to the 10th-seeded Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday. Alas, the Knicks will not have leading scorer Julius Randle because of a sore right quadriceps tendon – yet more disappointing news in an utterly disappointing season. The Hawks jumped from -1.5 to -3.5 at Caesars Sportsbook with the Randle news even though Atlanta is without John Randle and also might be missing Bogdan Bogdanovic. Click here for model picks. 

Atlanta (35-36) holds down the East's final play-in spot by five games over both Washington and New York (both 30-41). The Hawks' magic number to clinch no worse than the 10th is seven. The Knicks' magic losing number to be eliminated from the 10th spot is six, which would drop to four with a loss tonight, and New York only has 10 games left after this. The Knicks have won the season series vs. the Hawks, though, leading 3-0.

Randle was the biggest reason the Knicks earned the No. 4 seed in last year's Eastern Conference playoffs – but lost in the first round to Atlanta – in averaging 24.1 points (45.6 percent shooting), 10.2 rebounds and 6.0 assists. He was named second-team All-NBA and got a three-year, $63 million extension in the offseason. This year, Randle's numbers are down across the board: 20.3 points (41.3 percent shooting), 10.0 rebounds and 5.1 assists. He seemingly has been frustrated all season (including with fans) and nearly got into a fight with Utah's Rudy Gobert in Sunday's loss.

Tonight will be only Randle's third game missed all season. He sat out back-to-back games on Dec. 31 and Jan. 2 after entering the league's health and safety protocols. Obi Toppin will start in his place. The ninth overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft has not lived up to expectations. He is averaging 14.8 minutes this season in 61 games and shooting just 23.6 percent from beyond the arc. Toppin did win this year's Slam Dunk Contest at the All-Star Game. New York also remains without Nerlens Noel and Derrick Rose.

Atlanta is without Collins (16.2 ppg, 7.8 rpg) for perhaps two weeks with both a finger and foot issue. He has been limited to 54 games this year due to injury. Bogdanovic (quadriceps) is questionable but has played at least 30 minutes in each of his last three appearances, and he's averaged 21.0 points during that span. Since Jan. 26, Bogdanovic has appeared in 24 games off the bench (25 games total) and scored 402 total points (16.8 ppg), the second-most total points among all bench players over that time, while knocking down 68 three-pointers, the most among all bench players.

Looking for the best picks against the spread, sharp plays on the total, and props you can take straight to the pay window? Join Jonathan Coachman on the Early Edge as he speaks with SportsLine's top handicappers to preview the day's biggest games. We promise to keep it short, sweet and to put some green in your pocket. Early Edge is in your feed every single day by 11 a.m. ET. Subscribe right here on YouTube to watch daily, plus don't miss the Early Edge specials and live shows!