Jayson Tatum suffered a lower leg injury in Game 4 against the New York Knicks. The team also lost against the team 121-113. This leaves them on the verge of elimination in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
The current position of the Knicks in the series is 3-1. As the player was wheelchair-bound out of the stadium, the question is, will the Celtics have to play without their Anomaly star player in Game 5?
Many have come in support of Tatum sending him messages and commenting on social media. Tatum got injured while going after the loose ball. His lower leg turned out to be in bad shape. He could not put any weight on it. Players, including Karl-Anthony Towns and Jalen Brunson, came forward with prayers in his support. As Karl-Anthony Towns witnessed Tatum getting injured, he started praying to his god and mother for Tatum’s protection and comfort.
Moreover, LeBron James of the LA Lakers also reached out to boost Tatum’s morale. He had a two-word message for him, acknowledging his status as a star player. He posted “Big Deuce” on X for the player, which is also one of his nicknames. The players have played against each other, but also have mutual respect when it’s needed the most.
🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾 Big Deuce
— LeBron James (@KingJames) May 13, 2025
Tatum’s injury for now seems to be uncertain and he’s an integral part of the Celtics. When he collapsed during the 4th quarter, he held on to his right ankle in too much pain. He was on the floor till the time he could be taken to the locker room. His team’s trainer came quickly to him to look after him. Joe Mazzulla, the team’s coach, said an MRI is due for the player to learn more about the injury.
Jayson Tatum is in a wheelchair 😢 pic.twitter.com/X21bF8SJT4
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) May 13, 2025
The injury came at a very unprecedented time for the team. After this injury, the team may not be ready for Game 5 as they are already trailing the Knicks at 3-1 in the series. Due to this, the team’s elimination from the semi-finals may be inevitable if their star player is absent from the game.
Karl-Anthony Towns on Jayson Tatum’s potential Achilles injury:
“I’ve been in a situation like that with my calf. If you saw, I just walked up, obviously respectful of his space. I just put my head down and prayed to my mother, prayed to God to put protection over him and… pic.twitter.com/PffMwXUER2
— Courtside Buzz (@CourtsideBuzzX) May 13, 2025
Even Al Horford was stressed as he said losing a match is all part of the game, but he is worried about the player and wants to be there for him. Tatum remains his priority. Apart from this, Tatum’s co-leader, Jaylen Brown, was visibly shaken as he got emotional and could only say that it’s tough and not a lot to say about the whole situation. The whole team is worried about his injury as they don’t know how much time he may need to recover from it.
Even though the Knicks won the match and celebrated with the team, they are still concerned about their opponent. After the game, Jalen Brunson sent out prayers to Tatum, “Prayers out to JT, man. I just wanted to say that, first and foremost.” This is true sportsmanship as they understand how serious getting injured is during such an important game.
The Celtics have another game lined up on Wednesday, which seems to be a do-or-die situation for the team. We don’t know if Tatum will be playing or not, but the team will have to manage to win to stay in the series.
