The Boston Celtics are down 3-1 to the New York Knicks, but the worst loss of night was superstar Jayson Tatum, who had to be helped off the court during the fourth quarter of Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals with an apparent lower leg injury around his right foot.
Tatum chased a deflected ball and immediately went down without contact, calling for a timeout and grasping the area around his right foot. He appeared to be in intense pain.
Minutes after he left the court without being able to put weight on the leg, ESPN's television broadcast shared a video of the All-NBA player in a wheelchair, his face in his hands, being taken away by medical professionals in a back hallway.
Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla said postgame that Tatum would undergo an MRI Tuesday, but only confirmed that it was a "lower body injury." Mazzulla was asked whether it was an ankle or an Achilles tendon injury:
"I got back there, talked to the medical staff, and they told me it was a lower body injury," he said.
UPDATE: The Celtics announced on Tuesday that, as feared, Tatum ruptured his Achilles tendon. He underwent surgery on Tuesday, and there is no timetable for his recovery.
Tatum had been having the best performance of his postseason. He finished the night with 42 points, eight rebounds, and four steals.
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