Jayson Tatum injury update: Boston Celtics star carried off court after scary collapse vs. Knicks

Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum was carried to the locker room after falling to the floor with an apparent non-contact right leg injury in the fourth quarter of Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the New York Knicks on Monday. Tatum went down with the injury attempting to retrieve a loose ball.

He immediately grabbed his right ankle as medical personnel tended to him. Two Celtics personnel members helped Tatum to his feet before carrying him back to the locker room. The ESPN broadcast showed Tatum sitting in a wheelchair in the tunnel.

Jayson Tatum was helped off the court late in Game 4 after an apparent leg injury on this play. pic.twitter.com/UF8D4mxqlo

— ESPN (@espn) May 13, 2025

Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla called it a “lower-body injury.” Mazzulla added that Tatum is still being examined by doctors.

“I was obviously worried about someone’s health,” Mazzulla said, via Noa Dalzell of Celtics on CLNS. “The fact that he got carried off — he’s the type of guy that gets right up. We’ll know tomorrow exactly what it is, but it’s tough to watch a guy like him get carried off like that.”

Knicks take down Celtics in Game 4, focus shifts to Jayson Tatum’s status moving forward

Without Tatum on the floor for the remaining three minutes and change of the game, the Knicks cruised to a 121-113 victory. New York is up 3-1 in the best-of-seven series as it shifts back to Boston for Game 5 on Wednesday.

Tatum’s status will be the No. 1 thing to watch for moving forward. With the defending NBA champion Celtics on the brink of elimination, winning without Tatum would be a tall task.

The six-time All-Star has been inconsistent at times this series but was at his best on Monday before the injury. Tatum scored a team-high 42 points on 16-of-28 from the field and 7-of-16 from behind the arc. He added eight rebounds and four assists. He tied Larry Bird and John Havlicek for the most 40-point playoff games (5) by a Celtic.

Jalen Brunson led the way for the Knicks to the tune of 39 points on 14-of-25 shooting. Karl-Anthony Towns, Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby all scored 20 or more points. New York is one win away from advancing to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time since the 1999-2000 campaign.