Facing a 3-1 second-round series deficit, history tells us the Boston Celtics are (highly) unlikely to dig themselves out of this hole. In other words, their title defense is hanging by a thread. And now, superstar forward Jayson Tatum's apparent non-contact lower leg injury may have been the kiss of death.
Tatum went down late in the fourth quarter of Boston's Game 4 Eastern Conference semifinal loss to the New York Knicks. He went down while going after a loose ball and was in visible, agonizing pain, personally calling the Celtics' final timeout.
Jayson Tatum was helped off the court late in Game 4 after an apparent leg injury on this play. pic.twitter.com/UF8D4mxqlo
— ESPN (@espn) May 13, 2025
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Jayson Tatum exits Game 4 vs. Knicks with apparent leg injury
As the broadcast mentions, the concern on Tatum's teammates' faces, namely veteran big man Al Horford and fellow All-Star Jaylen Brown, was palpable. The 27-year-old couldn't put any weight on his right leg and had to be carried off the court by members of the Celtics training staff.
ESPN caught an emotional Tatum being wheeled to the locker room, as the Celtics star had his face in his hands. It was one of those moments where he ostensibly knew the severity of the matter without an official diagnosis. You never want to see that, especially when it's one of the best players in the NBA.
On a night when Tatum torched the Knicks and did everything he could to help Boston, it wasn't enough. On top of that, his status moving forward is in jeopardy following what could be a long-term ailment. Talk about a double whammy of unfortunate events for him and the Celtics.
Scoring 42 points (16-of-28 shooting) with eight rebounds, four assists, four steals and two blocks, Tatum was virtually unstoppable in Game 4. He was taking and making difficult shots all contest; the Knicks had no answer for him. However, New York came out on top in a pivotal showdown at Madison Square Garden.
Suddenly, the Celtics are on the brink of elimination and in jeopardy of being without Tatum. He'll get an MRI on Tuesday, but head coach Joe Mazzulla didn't provide much of an update beyond that during his postgame press conference.