Celtics star Jayson Tatum suffered a scary injury in the late stages of the Knicks’ Game 4 win over Boston that sent him right to the locker and at one point had him in a wheelchair.
The Knicks took the game 121-113 to take a 3-1 series lead, but for Celtics fans the big concern will be Tatum’s status going forward.
Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla described the issue as a lower-body injury, though he couldn’t provide much more detail than that when he spoke with reporters.
Mazzulla added that Tatum would undergo an MRI on Tuesday and “see what it is.”
The injury occurred with a little more than three minutes in the fourth quarter when Tatum attempted to go after a loose ball and seemed to plant his right leg the wrong way, sending him quickly to the ground.
OG Anunoby was able to take the ball the other way for the easy slam, but on the other end, Tatum was writhing in pain, banging the floor before grabbing his right ankle.
The Celtics’ medical staff quickly ran out to the court to tend to the injured star.
Tatum was eventually helped off the court by the trainers and was unable to put any pressure on his right leg as he went toward the Celtics locker room.
Moments later, a camera in the bowels of Madison Square Garden showed Tatum in a wheelchair with his hands over his face in pain.
“I never want to see a player get hurt. He’s been a great player and he’s a great guy too, so I hope it’s not a serious injury,” Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau said.
Tatum finished the game with 42 points in 40 minutes on the floor before the injury.
He had shot 16-of-28 from the field and 7-of-16 from 3-point range.
Reactions were quick to come in after the injury, including from NBA superstar LeBron James, who posted praying hands emojis to his X account.
The concern now shifts to the long-term health of Tatum, who has been an instrumental piece of the Celtics’ success this season and during the series against the Knicks.
Tatum had entered Game 4 averaging 19.3 points per game this series.
“Obviously you’re always concerned about someone’s health,” Mazzulla said. “It’s two-fold, we’re concerned about his health and where he’s at. And we’re concerned about what we have to do better for Game 5 when we get back to Boston.”
Mazzulla would not say if the injury had been an ankle issue or an Achilles injury.
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