NEW YORK — Before answering questions about how he carved up the Celtics’ defense in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, Jalen Brunson shared some words of support for Jayson Tatum.
“Prayers out to JT, first and foremost,” the Knicks star said at the start of his postgame news conference after New York’s 121-113 win over Boston at Madison Square Garden.
Tatum suffered what appeared to be a serious lower leg injury late in the fourth quarter. He writhed in pain on the court, had to be carried off by Celtics staffers and was seen on ESPN’s broadcast riding in a wheelchair after exiting down the tunnel.
“I thought he rolled his ankle,” said Brunson, who scored 38 points to lead New York back from a 14-point third-quarter deficit. “Obviously, you want to go out there and compete, but when a player of his caliber goes down and he’s rolling in pain like that, you know something’s wrong. That’s why I just gave my thoughts and prayers. You never want to see something like that, ever.”
Knicks big man Karl-Anthony Towns also said he was “praying for” Tatum.
“I saw him down on the court. It looked bad,” Towns said. “Prayers to him and his family. Never want to see anybody in the NBA get hurt like that. Hope it’s something minor and not something major.”
He added: “I’ve been in a situation like that with my calf. I just walked up, obviously respectfully of his space. I just put my head down and prayed to my mother, prayed to God, to put protection over him and comfort. Whatever the injury may be, I hope it’s minor like I said. Whatever the process he has to go through, hopefully is a quick, painless process and (we) see him back in the NBA. The NBA needs that kind of superstar talent that he is. I know we’re competing at the highest level in the playoffs, but this is a brotherhood.”
Tatum will undergo an MRI on Tuesday to determine the extent of his injury, Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla said. If the diagnosis is a torn Achilles, he would be looking at a lengthy recovery that could wipe out his entire 2025-26 season.
“I never want to see a player get hurt,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. “And I know he’s been a great player and he’s a great guy, too, so I hope it’s not a serious injury.”
Tatum turned in a standout performance before his injury, racking up 42 points, eight rebounds, four assists, four steals and two blocks in a losing effort. The 27-year-old six-time All-Star has never missed more than 10 games in any of his eight NBA seasons and has missed just one career playoff game.
