NEW YORK — The Boston Celtics are used to seeing Jayson Tatum get back up quickly after he falls, like he did after hurting his wrist in the first round of the playoffs. But this time, when Tatum couldn’t get up after going down late in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, it was clear his injury was serious. He had to be carried off the court, and it was obvious the injury to his lower right leg was bad, even though full tests wouldn’t happen until Tuesday.
“He’s the type of guy who always gets up,” said Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla. “So when he didn’t, we knew something was wrong. We’ll know more tomorrow, but it was tough to watch him get carried off like that.”
The Celtics had just lost the ball with about three minutes left in the game. Tatum tried to get to the ball, but his leg gave out, and he fell to the floor. He looked in a lot of pain, covering his face with a towel and holding his leg above the ankle after the non-contact injury.
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The New York Knicks won the game 121-113, taking a 3-1 lead in the series. The next game is on Wednesday in Boston, where the Celtics need to win to stay in the playoffs.
Coach Mazzulla confirmed that Tatum would have an MRI on Tuesday.
“It’s tough tonight,” said Jaylen Brown of the Celtics. “We lost the game, and we’re all worried about JT. But we’ll stay strong and try to move on tomorrow.”
Before his injury, Tatum had scored 42 points, his best in these playoffs. He was seen covering his face with his hands as he was taken away in a wheelchair.
Tatum, an eight-year NBA veteran, helped the Celtics win their 18th championship last year. Players and coaches from both teams showed concern for him. Tatum had already been hurt in Game 1 of the playoffs against Orlando when he was fouled on a dunk and landed badly, briefly staying on the court before getting up and holding his wrist. He kept playing, but missed Game 2, which was the first time in his career he had missed a playoff game.
The Celtics won without him in that game, but now they might have to do it again.
“It’s tough to see him hurt, but injuries happen,” said Kristaps Porzingis, a Celtics center. “It’s part of the game. We feel bad for him, but we have to keep going. He wouldn’t want us to be sad and not play our best basketball. We’ll keep pushing forward and give it everything we’ve got.”