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The New York Knicks used a third-quarter rally to erase a 14-point deficit, snatching a 121-113 victory over the defending champion Boston Celtics. They now have a three-games-to-one advantage in the best-of-seven NBA Eastern Conference semi-final series.
The Celtics, coming off a lopsided 115-93 win in game three, looked like they were about to even this series at two games apiece as they came out firing and hitting three-point shots. Derrick White (4-for-4) and Jason Tatum (3-for-3) pushed the Celtics to an 11-point lead after one quarter. Solid team defense, good offensive and defensive rebounding, and the scoring of Tatum and Jaylen Brown, who scored 20 points and pulled down seven rebounds, kept the New Yorkers on their collective heels as the Celts held a 62-51 lead at halftime.
But the gritty home team found their offense spark with a 14-0 spurt late in the third quarter. Jaylen Brunson, Karl Anthony-Towns and Mikal Bridges scored key baskets during the run, leading the Knicks to a three-point lead at the end of three quarters.
Back came the Celtics behind the long-distance shooting Tatum, but trailed by three, before disaster struck at the 3:07 mark of the fourth quarter. While lunging for a loose ball, Tatum suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon injury, ending his night and his season. He was having one of those epic playoff performances: scoring 42 points (7-16 on three-point shots), grabbing eight rebounds, four assists, four steals, and two blocked shots before it all came to a crashing halt.
The Celtics star, writhed in pain, was helped off the floor, unable to put pressure on his leg. He was wheelchaired into the locker room and his MRI on Tuesday showed the severity of his injury.
“You are always worried about someone’s health,” Mazzulla told reporters. “He’s the type of guy that gets right up. He didn’t, and we’ll know tomorrow exactly what it is. It’s tough to watch a guy like him getting carried off like that.”
Josh Hart and Precious Achiuwa try to beat Derrick White to the ball. PHOTO: VINCENT CARCHIETTA
The Boston forward tied Celtics Hall of Famers Larry Bird and John Havlicek for the most 40-point postseason games in franchise history.
“That’s our brother, hate to see him go down,” said guard Derrick White after the game. “We know the type of guy he is. We just have to find a way to win game five.”
Meanwhile, the Knickerbockers got another sterling performance from Jalen Brunson, their all-league guard. Brunson, the son of Knicks assistant coach Rick Brunson, who played his high school basketball at Salem High School, continued his offensive assault on the Boston Celtics. His final numbers, 39 points, 12 assists, and five rebounds, were mind-numbing.
But it was the contributions of teammates Mikal Bridges (23 points, seven rebounds and four steals), Towns (23 points and 11 rebounds), and OG Anunoby (20 huge points to go along with tough defense) who each played key roles in the team’s come-from-behind win. It was the third time that this underdog team rallied back from a double-digit deficit in the second half to stun the Green.
Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said, “I’m most proud of how my team hung tough and stayed together while the Celtics were hitting tough three-point shots, particularly Tatum, who was taking and making tough three-point shots all game.”
“The game shifted to the Knicks’ favor late in the third quarter as they turned up their defensive pressure and disrupted our offensive rhythm,” said Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla. “Jalen Brunson was his normal brilliant self throughout the entire game, but the big baskets by Bridges and Anunoby were just as instrumental to the Knicks’ win.”
By the time of the Tatum injury, New York had seized momentum in this game. In fact, the team from New York had the advantage in this series by virtue of their two stunning wins in the TD Garden. They beat Boston, rallying from back-to-back 20-point deficits in both games. The Celts produced a glimmer of hope with their dominant game-three triumph before returning to their habit of blowing double-digit leads in this most crucial game four.
Knicks forward OG Anunoby dunks the ball after a steal. PHOTO: VINCENT CARCHIETTA
“It means a lot. It’s a big game for us, just the way we responded, is what I’m most proud of, sticking together and making sure we are not quitting,” Jalen Brunson said at the postgame news conference. “That’s a tough team over there. Obviously, we want to get off to better starts, but they got experience. They’re the defending champs for a reason.”
The Celtics are 1-4 in clutch time in this year’s NBA playoffs, and NBA-best 24-11 in the regular season.
With a three-game-to-one lead going into game five in Boston, the Knicks will look to end the Celtics’ quest for their 19th NBA title. The team’s championship-mettle will be severely tested as they attempt to win three straight playoff games without the services of All-Star Jayson Tatum, a daunting task to say the least. This season, this team was 8-2 when Tatum was out of the lineup.
In other NBA news, the Dallas Mavericks won the 2025 Draft Lottery for the first time in franchise history. Going in, the Mavericks had a 1.80% chance of securing the top spot, the fourth lowest odds in the draft lottery history. Dallas expects to take Duke All-American forward Cooper Flagg with the No. 1 draft pick. The San Antonio Spurs have the second pick; the Philadelphia 76ers choose third. The Charlotte Hornets pick fourth, and the Utah Jazz are in the fifth position. The rest of the top 10 are as follows:
6. Washington Wizards
7. New Orleans Pelicans
8. Brooklyn Nets
9. Toronto Raptors
10. Houston Rockets
With their second pick at number 14, the Spurs are the only team with two lottery elimination.
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