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Jaylen Brown on Tatum’s injury — 11:10 p.m.
Jaylen Brown was emotional and at a loss for words at points during his postgame press conference on Monday, with his mind on the status of Celtics star Jayson Tatum.
Here’s what Brown (20 points) had to say after a Game 4 loss:
On Tatum’s injury: “It’s tough. It’s not really a lot to say.”
On the locker room post-game: “We didn’t say much. Felt like we just, you know … it wasn’t a lot to say. Obviously JT, everyone’s concerned with him, but tonight, defensively, our defense let us down. Just no resistance.”
On how the Celtics move forward: “We’ll take the night and you get back up tomorrow, and tomorrow’s a new day and we go from there.”
On if he’d spoken to Tatum: “No, I didn’t get a chance to.”
On the Celtics’ mind-set: “Tonight is tough. I think everyone’s kind of at a loss for words, because losing the game but obviously the concern with JT. But we pick our heads back up tomorrow and go from there.”
On focusing on Game 5: “That’s all that can be said. Get ready for the next one, get ready to fight, get ready to come out on our home floor and do what we need to do. That’s the goal, that’s still the goal, we have enough in our locker room and I believe in our guys.”
On his feelings after the loss: “I’m not sure. I’ve got no words right now.”
On the future following Tatum’s injury: “I guess you just take it as it comes. You get whatever information is needed, tomorrow we’ll find out more and then we’ve still got basketball to play on our home floor, so we come out and play Celtic basketball.
“I think everybody’s concerned with Jayson. I’m not sure how bad it is, didn’t look great. I think everyone’s more concerned with that. Obviously the loss is huge, but we’ve got to get ready for Game 5, so we’ll take the night and pick our heads up tomorrow and put together a game plan to come out on our home floor and keep this series alive.”
Derrick White on Jayson Tatum, Knicks’ shooting — 11:00 p.m.
Derrick White was 6 of 11 from three and scored 23 points in the loss.
The highlights from his postgame press conference …
On Tatum’s injury: “Obviously that’s our brother, and you hate to see him go down. We just know the type of guy he is and it’s tough to see him go down. Obviously right now it’s pretty low because of the game, but we’ve just got to find a way to win Game 5.”
On the Knicks hot shooting: “We just got to be better. Obviously [they hit] some tough shots, we’ve just got to find a way to get a stop, especially in those moments. They were just better than us today.”
On how the Celtics can get back into this series: “We’ve just got to find a way. Whoever’s out there, whatever it takes, just find a way. … Find a way.”
On if he’s talked to Tatum: “I haven’t seen him. He knows that we love him, and I’ll see him soon.”
On a potential comeback: “It’s not like we planned to be in this position, but we are where we are, and we’ve got to find a way to win Game 5.”
Horford weighs in on Tatum — 10:50 p.m.
“The loss is the loss. More importantly it’s just Tatum that I’m worried about. Just making sure I’m here for him. That’s my priority.”
Knicks fans are closing streets in celebration — 10:40 p.m.
What Joe Mazzulla said about Jayson Tatum — 10:32 p.m.
He said he had no update on Tatum.
“No, not yet. It’s a lower-body injury, we’re going to get an MRI tomorrow. He’s with the doctors now. I just asked him how he’s doing. We’ll get the MRI tomorrow, and we’ll see what it is.
“Obviously always concerned about someones health, so it’s twofold, we’re concerned about his health and where he’s at, and we’re concerned with what we have to do better for Game 5 back in Boston.”
When pressed on Tatum’s injury, he elaborated.
“Yeah, obviously you’re always worried about someone’s health so the fact that he had to be carried off … he’s the type of guy that usually gets right back up. It’s tough to watch a guy like him get carried off like that.”
Other comments from Mazzulla after the Game 4 loss:
“Tonight, we just didn’t play well defensively, and we’re in a hole, and we’ve got to get back to Boston and figure out a way to win. The Knicks played well tonight. … They’re a good offensive team, and I think a lot of it had to do with the transition and the rebounding because of our offensive execution … their guys stepped up, they made plays today.”
Mazzulla has no update on Tatum — 10:29 p.m.
Joe Mazzulla said in his postgame press conference that he had no update on Tatum’s right leg injury.
“It’s a lower body injury,” he said.
LeBron on Tatum’s injury — 10:25 p.m.
🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾 Big Deuce
— LeBron James (@KingJames) May 13, 2025
Instant analysis: Tatum scores 42, but it wasn’t enough — 10:20 p.m.
By Adam Himmelsbach
As the Knicks roared back from a 14-point deficit and put themselves in position to put the Celtics on the brink of elimination in this conference semifinal, one fateful play may have all but finished off Boston’s season.
With the Knicks in control and the Madison Square Garden crowd erupting, Jayson Tatum crumpled to the floor while going for a loose ball with three minutes left in Game 4 Monday night. He stayed down for several minutes before being helped to the locker room by two trainers.
The Knicks led by 9 at the time and had little trouble putting the finishing touches on their 121-113 win that gave them a 3-1 series lead. But now, all eyes will be on Tatum’s injury. Before going down, the Celtics’ durable star had erupted for 42 points.
Watch the play where Jayson Tatum got injured — 10:16 p.m.
It appears to be a non-contact right leg injury.
Tatum was in tears while being wheeled through Madison Square Garden.
Celtics lose — 10:11 p.m.
It’s 121-113 Knicks.
Seen some tough playoff nights in 15 years of covering the #Celtics and this is right up there. #Knicks
— gary washburn (@GwashburnGlobe) May 13, 2025
Tatum wheeled through tunnel in tears — 10:06 p.m.
The ESPN broadcast showed a visibly distraught Tatum being carted through MSG.
Jayson Tatum can’t put pressure on his right leg — 10:02 p.m.
Big concern for the Celtics, as Jayson Tatum goes down grabbing his right ankle, seemingly in a lot of pain after a Jaylen Brown turnover that led to a open transition bucket for the Knicks. Tatum was carried to the locker room with no weight put on his right leg after what appeared to be a non-contact injury to his lower right leg.
Jayson being helped to the locker room with no pressure on his right leg. This has turned into a terrible night. #Celtics #Knicks
— gary washburn (@GwashburnGlobe) May 13, 2025
Knicks take their biggest lead of the night — 9:59 p.m.
The Knicks simply cannot miss, and New York has its biggest lead of the night. The Knicks are shooting a scorching 26 of 39 (67 percent) in the second half, and with no one but Tatum finding their scoring touch, the Celtics just can’t hang right now. New York leads, 111-104, with 3:21 to go, and Boston sure looks like its season is about to be put on the brink at Madison Square Garden.
Tatum keeping the Celtics in it — 9:50 p.m.
Jayson Tatum is dragging the Celtics kicking and screaming through this fourth quarter. Back-to-back triples from Tatum give Boston its first lead of the quarter, but the Knicks respond with a couple more buckets to restore their lead at 102-99 with 6:32 to go. Tatum has a game-high 39 points, but the rest of the Celtics are struggling offensively in this second half.
Knicks lose a a challenge — 9:40 p.m.
The Knicks lose a pretty important challenge, as a blocking call on Josh Hart — his fifth foul — stands after a review. Hart, one of New York’s most important perimeter defenders, will have to walk a tightrope for whatever minutes he gets the rest of the way as New York leads, 92-89, with 10:22 to go.
Knicks 88, Celtics 85 — 9:33 p.m.
It’s a superstar showdown at Madison Square Garden, with Jalen Brunson and Jayson Tatum — 31 points for each — going toe-to-toe in this crucial Game 4. The Knicks outscored the Celtics by 14 points in the third to haul themselves back into the game and into the lead, as New York will take an 88-85 advantage into the fourth.
Knicks get within 2 — 9:25 p.m.
The Knicks aren’t going anywhere, as a brilliant third quarter from Jalen Brunson has the Knicks within 2 points. Brunson has 16 points in the third period alone after a pretty fadeaway and is up to a game-high 29 as the Celtics hold a slim lead, 83-81, with 2:34 to go in the quarter.
Jaylen Brown picks up a flagrant foul — 9:13 p.m.
By Amin Touri
Jaylen Brown gets hit with a flagrant foul for closing out too far into Jalen Brunson’s landing space on a 3-point attempt. It looked like Brown gave Brunson a decent bit of room from here, but the officials thought otherwise as Brunson landed on Brown’s foot. A quick 9-0 run from the Knicks and the Celtics lead is down to 72-67 with 7:15 to go in the third.
Celtics lead by 14 in the third — 9:08 p.m.
By Amin Touri
Back-to-back 3-pointers from the Celtics and Tom Thibodeau needs a timeout with New York facing its biggest deficit of the night early in the third. Boston leads, 72-58, with Jayson Tatum up to a game-high 23 points.
Adam Himmelsbach’s halftime analysis — 9:00 p.m.
By Adam Himmelsbach
Observations from the first half …
▪ For the second game in a row, the Celtics quickly distanced themselves from the 3-point struggles that plagued them in Games 1 and 2. It was a group effort in Game 3, but in Game 4 it is all Derrick White.
The guard hit a 3-pointer on Boston’s first possession and started the game 4 for 4 from beyond the arc, helping Boston to a quick double-digit lead. He was fouled by Brunson on what would have been his fifth attempt of the half. White hit a couple of tough ones, but he also benefited from the Knicks doing all they could to hide Karl-Anthony Towns and Jalen Brunson on defense. The hedges from others allowed the Celtics to keep New York’s defense scrambling with one extra pass.
▪ Tatum can be streaky. He had a quiet start to the opening quarter, missing both of his 3-point attempts and turning the ball over on a drive. But with 1:44 left he got a fortunate bounce on a 14-footer that appeared well short. And that was all he needed. Tatum poured in three 3-pointers over the final 75 seconds of the quarter, with a Payton Pritchard 3-pointer sandwiched in as part of a powerful 12-0 surge to close the quarter.
Coach Joe Mazzulla has harped on the importance of closing quarters authoritatively, and it doesn’t get much more authoritative than that.
▪ Mazzulla had to be particularly pleased with Pritchard’s 3-pointer with 34 seconds left that set up a perfect two-for-one chance.
▪ Tatum’s scorching close to the first quarter probably led Mazzulla to stick with him to start the second, which is usually his time to get a brief rest. But Tatum missed a jumper and had a turnover and subbed out for Brown a minute later.
▪ Porzingis came off the bench once again and had a rocky first stint in which he struggled to get position on a couple of early post-ups and wasn’t much of a deterrent at the other end. He was more active and productive in the second quarter, however. He had a nice putback and grabbed three rebounds with a steal. He still hasn’t taken over a game like he did so often during the regular season, but the increased usage and activity was at least encouraging.
▪ The Celtics have sent Knicks big man Mitchell Robinson to the free-throw line whenever possible during this series. There were few opportunities in the first half, because the Celtics did not commit many fouls. The Knicks never reached the penalty in the first quarter, and they did not enter it until less than three minutes remained in the second.
After Boston collected its fourth on a non-shooting foul with 2:44 left, with Robinson on the floor, three Celtics coaches leapt from the bench to make sure the team was aware of the situation. But the Knicks were, too. Robinson was removed from the game in favor of Precious Achiuwa. The crowd gave an approving cheer.
For what it’s worth, Robinson had pulverized the Celtics on the offensive glass up to that point. He returned soon after, but the Knicks did well keeping him out of actions that would have allowed the Celtics to easily send him to the line.
▪ The Celtics led, 39-28, at the start of the second when the team’s began exchanging mild runs. New York’s 7-0 burst was followed by a 9-0 Celtics surge, and that led to a 9-0 Knicks response. It was enough to keep the crowd more engaged after the blowout in the last game, but in the first half the Celtics ensured that a massive run never arrived. Boston took a 62-51 lead to the break.
▪ Pritchard, the star of Game 3, was limited to eight first-half minutes.
Celtics take an 11-point lead into halftime — 8:46 p.m.
By Amin Touri
The first half of Game 4 is in the books with the Celtics leading, 62-51.
Jayson Tatum was brilliant in the first half, doing it all for the Celtics — he finished with 20 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks in by far his best half of this series. Derrick White wasn’t far behind with 17 points on 4 of 5 shooting from behind the arc, leading a Celtics team that went 12 of 23 (52.2 percent) from deep in the first half.
Karl-Anthony Towns had 10 points and 8 rebounds for New York but is already in foul trouble, having been yanked for the last five minutes of the half after picking up his third foul. Jalen Brunson leads the Knicks with 13 points.
Celtics 48, Knicks 35 — 8:22 p.m.
A game of runs at Madison Square Garden: New York responds to Boston’s late-first flurry with 7 straight points to open the second, and the Celtics fire right back with another 9-0 run. Boston has its biggest lead of the night at 48-35 with 7:31 left in the second quarter.
End of first quarter: Celtics 39, Knicks 28 — 8:11 p.m.
The Celtics close the period on a sudden 12-0 run, as a Jayson Tatum heat check — a trio of triples over the course of four possessions — gives the Celtics an 11-point lead out of nowhere. One Tatum three came from way downtown, another on a deep stepback, and Boston is 9 of 13 from 3-point range after one quarter while boasting a 39-28 lead in Game 4.
Knicks close the gap — 7:58 p.m.
After a strong start for the Celtics, the Knicks respond with a quick 8-0 run to cut the gap to just 2 points after Boston jumped out to a 10-point lead. The threes are dropping in this one, with the teams combining to hit 6 of 13 attempts from beyond the arc early on. The Celtics lead, 16-14, with 5:52 to play in the first quarter.
Celtics 13, Knicks 4 — 7:50 p.m.
Boston gets out to a nine-point lead with 8:38 to play in the first. Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau calls a timeout.
Stars in the house at MSG — 7:45 p.m.
Among the celebrities sitting courtside in New York: Timothée Chalamet and Kylie Jenner, Ben Stiller, Tracy Morgan, Susie Essman.
Mavericks win NBA draft lottery and right to draft Cooper Flagg — 7:35 p.m.
By the Associated Press
The ping-pong balls have spoken: Cooper Flagg might be headed to Dallas to start his NBA career.
And a fan base that lost Luka Doncic this season might have a new star to cheer for.
The Mavericks won the NBA draft lottery on Monday night, giving them the No. 1 pick in next month’s draft — and the first chance to take Flagg, the freshman who led Duke to the Final Four in his lone college season and the consensus player of the year and who grew up in Maine.
Dallas bucked huge odds to get it done, with only a 1.8% chance to win the lottery coming into Monday. A Mavs team that went to the NBA Finals last season, then scorned its fans by trading away Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers, left Chicago with the biggest prize.
San Antonio — with back-to-back rookies of the year in Victor Wembanyama and Stephon Castle — will pick second, Philadelphia will pick third, and Charlotte will pick fourth.
Flagg averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists while leading Duke to the Final Four in his lone college season. He shot 48% from the field, 39% from 3-point range, 84% from the foul line and was The Associated Press’ national player of the year.
Sam Hauser out for Game 4 — 7:15 p.m.
By Amin Touri
The Celtics will remain without one of their sharpest shooters in Game 4, as Sam Hauser was ruled out for Monday night with the ankle sprain he suffered in Game 1.
Hauser, who was previously listed as questionable on the injury report Sunday, has yet to play since leaving Game 1 early. The 27-year-old shot 41.6 percent from deep this season.
Knicks searching for urgency from the jump in Game 4 — 7:00 p.m.
By Khari Thompson
The one trait that the Knicks can’t afford to show during the remainder of this Eastern Conference semifinal series against the Celtics is indecisiveness, Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said at practice Sunday afternoon.
As the Celtics showed in their 115-93 victory in Game 3, they have too many capable shooters in their five-out offense to remain in a permanent shooting slump.
The Celtics drained six of their first seven 3-pointers in Saturday and continued to bolster their confidence by making hustle plays that earned them extra opportunities to launch more threes.
“You have to make sure the communication is great, the positioning is great, challenging of shots are great, and you have to have the ability to finish your defense,” Thibodeau said. “When it’s shot, you’ve got to get to bodies and make sure you’re not giving them a second and third crack at it. There were probably four or five loose balls that they were able to get to that turned into threes for them. We have to understand how important that is.”
The word of the day at Knicks practice was urgency. Both Thibodeau and Josh Hart said the team needs to summon more of it for Monday night’s Game 4 at Madison Square Garden.
Catching up with NBC Sports Boston’s Abby Chin — 6:45 p.m.
By Emma Healy
Before the Celtics and Knicks opened the 2021-22 season, Abby Chin and her fellow media members funneled into a press conference at the Knicks’ training facility for the first in-person press conference since the COVID-19 pandemic began, and the room was buzzing.
While she took in the excitement around her, Chin realized something that stopped her in her tracks.
“These are the two marquee franchises in the NBA, and among a group of 50 to 100 people, I was the only woman,” said Chin, NBC Sports Boston’s veteran Celtics sideline reporter. “It’s 2021! That’s not right. I was dumbfounded.”
Chin had been in the business for more than a decade and had grown used to being in the minority as a woman in a male-dominated industry. But something about that day in particular felt like a call to action.
“From that moment on, I felt like it was really important to try and do what I can to foster more women in the business, and try to help and do whatever I can,” she said.
Sullivan: Home court a big advantage? Not in these NBA playoffs — 6:30 p.m.
By Tara Sullivan
So much for home-court advantage.
In this Celtics-Knicks playoff series, the advantage hasn’t paid off yet, with the road team winning the first three games, two remarkable comebacks by the Knicks at TD Garden and one blowout payback win by the Celtics in New York.
So as the second-round matchup headed into its pivotal Game 4 Monday night, the Celtics had every reason to believe they could even the series despite the noise, fans, and ghosts at Madison Square Garden.
To start, they were the NBA’s best road team this season, a 33-8 record that dwarfed the 28-13 mark they posted at home, and they’ve only just begun to hit 3-pointers again. But even beyond that, they are far from an NBA playoff outlier, no solitary exception to the long-held belief in the value of home court.
Road warriors are waging their way throughout this year’s postseason, with the Celtics and Knicks merely part of a larger trend.
The Salem Knicks? Before Tom Thibodeau and Rick Brunson coached New York, they were icons in the Witch City — 6:15 p.m.
By Matt Porter
In the summer of 1987, those who cared about basketball on the North Shore — young dribblers and old-timers both — were buzzing about the kid at Salem High. He was 15 and no one in recent years had seen anyone like him.
Rick Brunson could bust through double-teams, get any bucket he wanted, snatch every board, hit every open teammate, lock down his man and your man on defense.
Looking for competition, Brunson would show up to the men’s league games on steamy nights next to the marshes at Forest River Park. It was a mix of high school and college players, plus a Harvard assistant coach who was there to stay in shape rather than recruit.
The coach didn’t know if he could get Brunson to join him.
Tom Thibodeau just wanted to beat him.
“His story is he used to kill me,” Brunson recalled on “The Mark Jackson Show” in August. “My story is that I used to kill him. Ain’t no footage, so we’re never going to get to the truth.”
Gary Washburn | On Basketball
Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown still haven’t delivered their best performances. Could Game 4 be the one? — 6:00 p.m.
The good news for the Celtics is there’s plenty of room left for improvement in Game 4 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series against the Knicks.
They coasted to a 115-93 Game 3 win, leading by as many as 31 points, yet they didn’t play their best basketball, especially their stars.
While Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown were better and more aggressive in Game 3, neither were particularly efficient. Camouflaged by the 50 percent 3-point shooting were struggles inside the arc, especially from that duo.
They combined to go 8 for 23 on twos, including seven misses inside the restricted area. Both can be better. The positive for the Celtics is that both were more aggressive and attacked the rim with more vigor. There was a sense of hesitancy in the first two games.
Amin Touri can be reached at amin.touri@globe.com. Katie McInerney can be reached at katie.mcinerney@globe.com. Follow her @k8tmac.
