Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum appears to have suffered a serious lower leg injury in Monday’s Game 4 playoff loss against the New York Knicks. With the Celtics trailing the Knicks in the waning minutes of the fourth quarter, Tatum crumbled to the floor while pursuing a loose ball. He immediately grabbed at the lower part of his right leg in obvious pain.
Here’s a look at what happened before the end of the 121-113 Celtics loss that put them down 3-1 in the best-of-seven series:
Tatum stayed on the floor for several moments and had to be helped to the locker room — first being assisted by Celtics staff members before being put in a wheelchair. He could not put any weight on the affected leg.
After the game, Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said Tatum will undergo an MRI on Tuesday to determine the severity of the injury.
“I talked to the medical staff, they told me it’s a lower body injury and he’ll get an MRI [Tuesday],” Mazzulla told reporters. “We’ll see where it goes from there.”
Added Celtics’ Jaylen Brown: “I think everybody’s concerned with Jayson. I’m not sure how bad it is. Didn’t look great. But I think everybody is kind of more concerned with that.”
The Celtics, the defending NBA champions, were trailing 111-104 when Tatum went down and went on to lose by eight points. The Celtics led by as many as 14 points in the third quarter, but blew a double-digit lead for the third time in the series.
Before his injury, Tatum was having an incredible game, leading all scorers with 42 points in 40 minutes. Now the Celtics will head home for Game 5 with their season on the line likely without their best player on the floor.
“We’re obviously always concerned about someone’s health, so it’s twofold. We’re concerned about his health and we’re concerned about what we have to do better for Game 5 when we get back to Boston,” Mazzulla said. “The fact that he had to be carried off — he’s the type of guy, he gets right up. He didn’t. It’s tough to watch a guy like him get carried off like that.”