The Boston Celtics are used to seeing Jayson Tatum get up when he goes down, like he did after a hard fall that caused a wrist injury in the first round of the playoffs.
When he couldn’t get to his feet late in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals and had to be carried off the court, it was clear just how serious his lower right leg injury was, even before testing that won’t come until Tuesday.
“He’s the type of guy, he gets right up,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said. “So he didn’t and we’ll know tomorrow exactly what it is. But yeah, I mean it’s tough to watch a guy like him get carried like that.”
The Celtics had just turned the ball over with about three minutes left and as Tatum lunged forward toward the loose ball, his leg gave out and he went down. He buried his face in a towel in obvious pain while grabbing at his leg above the ankle after the non-contact injury.
The New York Knicks won 121-113 to take a 3-1 lead. The series resumes Wednesday in Boston with the Celtics needing to win to extend their NBA title reign.
Mazzulla said the All-Star forward would undergo an MRI exam Tuesday.
“I think tonight is tough,” the Celtics’ Jaylen Brown said. “I think everybody’s kind of at a loss for words, just because, one losing the game, but obviously the concern with JT. But we pick our heads back up tomorrow and go from there.”
Tatum scored 42 points, his high in these playoffs, before he was hurt. He buried his face in his hands as he was pushed down a tunnel in a wheelchair after leaving the floor.
An eight-year veteran, Tatum won his first NBA title last year when he led Boston to its 18th championship.
Players and coaches on both sides expressed their concern for Tatum, who was hurt in Game 1 of the opening around against Orlando when he was fouled on a dunk attempt and landed awkwardly, remaining on the court briefly before getting up holding his right wrist. He remained in the game before missing Game 2, the first time he’d missed a playoff game in his career.
The Celtics won without him that time. Now they are faced with having to do it again.
“Obviously it’s tough to see, but who hasn’t had injuries, you know?’ Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis said. ‘And it’s a part of this sport, part of this game and we feel for him, of course. But we have to move forward. He don’t want us to be over here sad and not play our best basketball. So, we’re going to go out there and leave it all out there and live with the result.”
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Jayson Tatum
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