Jayson Tatum injured as Knicks win Game 4, push Celtics to brink

NEW YORK The Celtics bid for back-to-back NBA titles officially is on life aid after yet another second-half nosedive Looking to even the Eastern Conference semifinals at two games apiece Boston instead squandered a -point third-quarter lead and a standout performance from Jayson Tatum in a - loss to the New York Knicks on Monday night at Madison Square Garden The Celtics now must win their next three games beginning with Battle on Wednesday at TD Garden to avoid becoming the sixth consecutive defending champion to be eliminated in the second round or earlier And they might need to do so without their best player After racking up points eight rebounds four assists four steals and two blocks Tatum suffered a non-contact lower leg injury midway through the fourth quarter and had to be helped off the court by Celtics staffers ESPN cameras revealed the six-time All-Star being taken on a wheelchair toward the Boston locker room Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla did not offer an update on Tatum s condition postgame saying only that he suffered a lower body injury and would undergo an MRI on Tuesday Obviously you re invariably concerned about someone s wellness so it s twofold Mazzulla declared We re concerned about his medical where he s at and then we re concerned about what we have to do better for Championship Jalen Brunson spearheaded by far the Knicks best offensive outing of the series going off for points and assists Fellow New York starters Karl-Anthony Towns Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby all topped points as well with Bridges delivering several clutch makes to help the third-seeded Knicks pull away late In NBA history teams that fell behind - in a playoff series went on to lose of the time - No association has successfully completed a - comeback since Boston blew third-quarter leads of and points in its three losses to New York which now sits just one win away from its first Eastern Conference finals appearance since Related Articles Celtics Sam Hauser still not ready to return for Tournament vs Knicks Celtics notebook How Payton Pritchard sparked C s in career-best playoff tournament Kristaps Porzingis comes off bench in Meeting after ominous wellbeing overview Jayson Tatum shares candid perspective on spotlight after Celtics Encounter win Celtics embrace darkness blow out Knicks in much-needed Challenge win The Celtics got off to another excellent start building a double-digit first-quarter lead for the third time in this series Derrick White points made his first four -pointers and Tatum foiled two early Knicks possessions with a block and a steal The latter led to a fast-break layup that triggered a Tom Thibodeau timeout New York briefly stabilized after that stoppage It took the hosts just over three minutes to erase Boston s cushion with Anunoby hitting a corner three to cap a - Knicks run But the Celtics responded with a - run fueled by more red-hot perimeter shooting Boston scored on its final seven possessions of the first quarter including three Tatum -pointers two over Towns one over Brunson The Celtics shot -for- from deep in the opening frame and led - Disparities in the margins prevented the Celtics from extending that lead as the Knicks doubled them up in offensive rebounds - second-chance points - and points in the paint - in the first half to remain competitive Boston was able to weather New York s multiple second-quarter pushes however staging a - run after a driving layup by Towns made it a four-point battle Tatum ignited that surge with a -pointer part of a -point first half for the Celtics star and Kristaps Porzingis helped maintain it with two offensive rebounds a putback tip-in and a steal under Boston s basket The Celtics big man has battled responses from a long-running viral illness throughout the series and he upped his activity Monday night playing minutes after going sub- in the first three games But his effectiveness waned as the night progressed and he appeared to tire The Celtics also kept Brunson and the rest of his Knicks teammates off the foul line until the final two minutes of the first half attempting free throws before New York took its first They took a - advantage into halftime Tatum sparked another big sequence early in the third quarter In one -second span he threaded a pass to Jrue Holiday for a layup hit a three intercepted an ill-advised Towns pass and exposed White in the corner for another triple that put Boston up But a costly error by Tatum s co-star gave New York life After Brunson made a three and a layup on consecutive trips Jaylen Brown was whistled for a flagrant foul when he placed his foot into the Knicks point guard s landing zone on a -point attempt The Knicks were awarded three shots and the ball resulting in a four-point possession that cut the Celtics lead to five Even after Boston responded with a White three and a steal-and-score by Tatum the Knicks kept charging They steadily chipped away until Brunson s midrange jumper over White tied the competition at - with left in the third Anunoby and Josh Hart then closed the quarter with a made three and a fast-break layup to cap a - run for New York which led - heading into the fourth Brunson poured in points in the third quarter While he heated up Boston s offense stagnated lacking the ball movement and flow that served them well earlier in the night Tatum missed his final four field-goal attempts of the third all pull-up threes and landed hard on his injured right wrist on a drive to the basket Both teams entered precarious foul-trouble situations early in the fourth quarter with Hart and Brown both picking up their fifth and Towns committing No With Brown on the cusp of disqualification the Celtics opted to roll with a double-big lineup featuring a visibly fatigued Porzingis who looked a step slow on both ends By the time Brown reentered with remaining the Celtics trailed - Tatum who did his best to power the C s with two late threes and an and-one layup suffered his injury on the ensuing possession The fact that he had to be carried off he s the type of guy that he gets right up Mazzulla explained He didn t and we ll know Tuesday exactly what it is but it s tough to watch a guy like him get carried off like that The Celtics now must speedily regroup overcome the tactical and emotional ramifications of Tatum s injury and fight to avoid elimination on Wednesday night They ll be ready Mazzulla mentioned That s just who they are It s been that way It s the locker room that they have and they ll be ready