Julius Randle’s surgery

Julius Randle will have to undergo surgery on his right shoulder and miss the rest of the season, a major blow to a New York Knicks team that was going from strength to strength before the All-Star forward was injured in January.

The Knicks said Thursday that Randle would be re-evaluated in five months, meaning it is unclear whether he will be ready for the start of next season.

But they had focused on his chances for this season when Randle dislocated his shoulder Jan. 27 in a win over the Miami Heat. The Knicks finished 14-2 that month, tied for the second-most wins in franchise history in a month.

But without Randle, and without fellow starters OG Anunoby and Mitchell Robinson out for most of their games since then, the Knicks had fallen to fifth place in the Eastern Conference entering their Thursday game against Sacramento.

Randle was injured after going down hard with 4:27 remaining in the win over the Heat when Jaime Jaquez Jr. stepped in front of him while trying to charge Randle as he drove to the basket. He has since been rehabbing the shoulder in hopes of avoiding surgery and returning in time for the postseason.