The Boston Celtics had two major losses in the last couple of hours: they lost game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals to the New York Knicks 121-113, and they lost their superstar Jayson Tatum.
The NBA franchise with the most championships fell into a 3-1 series hole and now they are not going to be able to have Tatum on the court at least for the remainder of the battle against New York, if not the rest of the playoffs.
Prior to the injury, Tatum logged 42 points, eight rebounds, four assists, four steals, and two blocks in the 121-113 loss, making him the third player in NBA history to reach those marks in a playoff game, along with legendary names like Patrick Ewing and Hakeem Olajuwon.
Tatum’s injuy could have been avoided
A new video posted on X shows Jayson Tatum working on his ankle with trainer Nick Sang during a break of the game 4 of the series between the Boston Celtics and the New York Knicks. “The shooting guard was jumping on one foot and doing some movement exercises during the timeout,” wrote Celtics reporter Bobby Krivitsky.
“Sounds like there was at least some concern prior to the injury collapse,” an X user wrote. “The Celtics have a better chance of winning without him… All he does is play 1-on-1 basketball and chug 3’s,” another social media user wrote. “People saying wrong leg/side… that’s usually what happens when you overcompensate one side of your lower body, the other takes too much load and suffers a worse injury or the hips get messed up,” added somebody else.
Tatum hurt himself while lunging for a loose ball and immediately dropped to the floor, writhing in pain while calling for a timeout. He was helped up by Boston’s medical staff and assisted off the court, unable to put any pressure on the injured leg, before being eased into a wheelchair and carted down a back hallway.
The Knicks want to close the deal and advance to the Finals
The New York Knicks had trouble finding their rhythm agains the Boston Celtics but they finally found the right pace and they are on the brink of eliminating the defending champions in what could be the biggest upset during the 2025 NBA playoffs so far.
Karl-Anthony Towns still hasn’t found his 3-point shot but took advantage of smaller defenders inside and scored 23 points on 11-for-15 shooting. OG Anunoby made some timely shots, and the combination of Jalen Brunson and Mikal Bridges couldn’t be stopped as New York scored an amazing 70 points on 47 possessions in the second half.
Jalen Brunson, by the way, keeps delivering huge playoff performances for the Knicks, even when they fall behind against the defending champions. He’s now averaged 30.2 points over his 34 playoff games with New York, with only Phoenix’s Devin Booker (32.1 in 15 games) having a higher scoring average over the last three postseasons.
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