moranelkarifnews : Jayson Tatum carried off floor, placed in wheelchair late in Celtics' Game 4 loss to Knicks

Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum was carried off the floor late in Monday’s 121-113 playoff loss to the New York Knicks.

Tatum fell and clutched his right ankle in clear pain in the game’s final minutes and immediately asked for a timeout. He was then carried off the floor by athletic trainers, unable to put weight on his right foot. 

Tatum was placed in a wheelchair in the tunnel at Madison Square Garden and put his head in his hands as he was wheeled down the hall by medical staff. 

The Knicks led 111-104 at the time of Tatum’s injury with 3:12 remaining in the game. They finished the eight-point win to take a 3-1 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals and put the reigning champion Celtics on the brink of elimination. 

But Tatum’s health was of central concern when the final buzzer sounded. There was no official diagnosis of Tatum’s injury at the game’s conclusion. Head coach Joe Mazzulla called it a lower-body injury in his postgame news conference and told reporters Tatum was scheduled for an MRI on Tuesday.

LeBron James was among Tatum’s well-wishers in the aftermath of his injury.

Tatum dueled with Jalen Brunson before his injury

Tatum was in the midst of his best game of the series at the time of the injury. He finished with 42 points, eight rebounds, four assists, four steals and two blocks. He shot 16 of 28 from the floor and 7 of 16 from 3.

Despite Tatum’s big game, the Knicks looked poised to win even before his injury. 

Jalen Brunson countered Tatum’s effort with a 39-point, 12-assist outing of his own to lead the Knicks from a 14-point third-quarter deficit to victory. He shot 14 of 25 from the field and 4 of 8 from long distance and paced the Knicks during a 37-point third quarter that was the highest-scoring quarter by either team in the series. 

Celtics go cold from 3, open door for Knicks rally

Boston’s 3-point shooting has been a central theme of this series. The Celtics shot 15 of 60 (25%) in a Game 1 loss at home in which their 45 misses from 3 set an NBA playoff record. They missed 30 more in a 10-of-40 effort in Game 2 that ended in a second stunning win by the Knicks on Boston’s home floor.

In Game 3, the Celtics realized the upside of their reliance on the 3-pointer in a 20-of-40 effort that led to a blowout win. For a half on Monday, the Celtics looked destined for a repeat of Game 3 with a 12-of-24 effort before halftime that helped Boston to a 62-51 advantage at the break.

But the shots stopped dropping after halftime. The Celtics went cold in the third quarter to open the door for New York’s 37-point outburst. They finished the game 18 of 48 from 3 (37.5%) with a 6-of-24 effort in the second half.

Brunson leads rally

While the Celtics went cold in the third quarter, Brunson caught fire. The Knicks All-Star scored 18 of his 39 points in the stanza while leading the Knicks to the lead.

Boston extended its 11-point halftime lead to 72-58 in the opening minutes of the third quarter. But from there, the Knicks surged to the lead behind Brunson’s hot hand. 

Brunson shot 7 of 11 from the field in the third while hitting multiple tough buckets against Boston’s defense. 

By the end of the third quarter, New York had turned its 14-point deficit into an 88-85 lead. 

Boston battled to keep the game close and tied it at 102-102 on an and-1 layup and made free throw by Tatum midway through the fourth quarter. 

But OG Anunoby answered with a 3-pointer on the other end, and the Knicks never relinquished the lead. The Knicks finished the game on a 19-11 run to secure the first win by a home team in the series. 

The series now shifts back to Boston for Game 5 on Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET, when the Celtics will look to fend off elimination on their home floor. It appears likely that they’ll do so without the services of their best player as NBA eyes shift their attention to Tatum’s long-term health. 

Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum was carried off the floor late in Monday’s 121-113 playoff loss to the New York Knicks.

Tatum fell and clutched his right ankle in clear pain in the game’s final minutes and immediately asked for a timeout.

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He was then carried off the floor by athletic trainers, unable to put weight on his right foot.