Celtics squander another lead to Knicks, then lose Jayson Tatum

The city that never sleeps will be awake for a long time.

The New York Knicks overcame yet another double-digit deficit in the second half on Monday to take a 3-1 series lead over the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

The Knicks trailed by 14 with nine minutes left in the third quarter, but ended the frame on a 30-13 run to lead heading into the fourth.

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New York Knicks forward OG Anunoby (8) dunks the ball as fans celebrate in the second half during game four of the second round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs against the Boston Celtics at Madison Square Garden.  (Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images)

And after both teams threw several jabs throughout the fourth, the Knicks eventually pulled away to a 121-113 victory.

The Celtics took a 99-98 lead with just over seven minutes to go after Jayson Tatum drilled his seventh three-pointer of the night to give him 42 points on the evening. But the Knicks were unfazed.

New York then went on another huge run, outscoring Boston 18-5 over the next five minutes.

During the span, though, Tatum appeared to suffer a serious non-contact lower leg injury while going for a loose ball. Tatum immediately called timeout himself and was carried off the court. Cameras showed him in the locker room with a towel covering his face.

Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics is looked over on the court after being injured against the New York Knicks during the fourth quarter in Game Four of the Eastern Conference Second Round NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden on May 12, 2025 in New York City. (Elsa/Getty Images)

The Celtics are already shockingly down 3-1 in the series, and odds go even more in the Knicks’ favor if Tatum’s injury is what it’s feared to be.

Four of the Knicks’ five starters finished with at least 20 points, with Jalen Brunson leading the way with 39.

Game 5 is back in Boston, where the Knicks won both of the first two games of the series. With a win, the Knicks will be back in the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2000.

Trainers help Boston Celtics’ Jayson Tatum (0) off the court after he was injured during the second half of Game 4 in the Eastern Conference semifinals of the NBA basketball playoffs against the New York Knicks Monday, May 12, 2025, in New York.  (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

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The Celtics will have to make the NBA’s 14th comeback from a 3-1 deficit to extend their title reign.

Nobody has come from 3-1 down since Denver did it twice in 2020 at the Walt Disney World resort. It hasn’t happened when a team had to win a true road game since Cleveland rallied past Golden State in the 2016 NBA Finals.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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