Knicks take a 3-1 lead over the
Celtics with a 121-113 victory as Tatum is injured in final minutes
[May 13, 2025]
By BRIAN MAHONEY
NEW YORK (AP) — Jalen Brunson and the New York Knicks had just taken
control of the game with another fourth-quarter kick when Jayson
Tatum fell to the court with a potentially severe right leg injury.
The specifics of Tatum’s injury are uncertain but the situation in
the Eastern Conference semifinals is clear.
The Knicks need one more victory to reach the conference finals for
the first time in 25 years. The Celtics need to match the biggest
comeback in NBA history to extend their title reign.
Brunson had 39 points and 12 assists, and the Knicks pushed the
defending champions to the brink of elimination with a 121-113
victory Monday night in Game 4.
Blown out in Game 3, the Knicks dominated the second half to become
the first home team to win in this series.
“I think it was a sense of urgency, desperation, just knowing that
we have a great opportunity,” Brunson said.
The Celtics will have to make the NBA’s 14th comeback from a 3-1
deficit and may have to do it without Tatum, who was carried off the
court with a right leg injury with 2:58 left.
Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns each added 23 points and OG
Anunoby bounced back from two poor performances by scoring 20 for
the Knicks, who can win the series Wednesday night at Boston. If
not, they would come back to Madison Square Garden to try to do it
Friday night.
“We have to turn that page quickly and do our first job, which is
win on Wednesday. That's the mindset,” Celtics veteran Al Horford
said. “As a group, we just have to rally together because obviously
we’ve lost our leader, the guy that gets us going.”
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New York Knicks' Jalen Brunson (11) shoots over Boston Celtics'
Jaylen Brown (7) during the first half of Game 4 in the Eastern
Conference semifinals of the NBA basketball playoffs Monday, May 12,
2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
Tatum scored 42 points, his high in these playoffs,
before he was hurt when the Celtics turned the ball over and his leg
gave out as he tried to lunge forward toward the loose ball.
Nobody has come from 3-1 down since Denver did it twice in 2020 at
the Walt Disney World resort. It hasn't happened when a team had to
win a true road game since Cleveland rallied past Golden State in
the 2016 NBA Finals.
After leading by at least 20 points in the first three games — but
blowing the first two of them in Boston — the Celtics had another
double-digit lead less than five minutes into this game and were up
62-51 at halftime.
Brunson then scored 18 in a desperate third quarter, when the Knicks
played their starters the entire way and outscored the Celtics 37-23
to set up a thrilling final period.
“Just keep fighting,” Bridges said. “We were down way worse before.”
Tatum’s three-point play tied it for the final time at 102-all
before Anunoby hit a 3-pointer and the Knicks later put it away for
good with an 11-0 burst that made it 116-104.
Derrick White made six 3-pointers and scored 23 points for the
Celtics. Jaylen Brown had 20.
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