Celtics
"He underwent an MRI today in New York City, and the Celtics — since last night — have been expecting a severe injury for Tatum.”
Medical staff check out Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) during the fourth quarter in game four of the NBA Eastern Conference semifinal against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.
Jayson Tatum suffered a serious injury on Monday night at Madison Square Garden. (Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff)
By Conor Ryan
May 13, 2025 | 4:30 PM
2 minutes to read
As of Tuesday afternoon, the Celtics have still not released any update on Jayson Tatum after the star forward suffered a non-contact injury on Monday night against the Knicks.
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#### Jayson Tatum’s injury overshadows Celtics’ Game 4 loss to Knicks: Takeaways
Tatum needed help getting off the court with less than three minutes remaining in Game 4 of Boston’s eventual 121-113 loss to New York — with ESPN cameras capturing a distraught Tatum being taken to the team’s locker room in a wheelchair.
Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla said postgame that Tatum was set to undergo an MRI on Tuesday, although no new information has been made available since then.
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Given the optics of Tatum clutching the back of his right ankle immediately after hitting the hardwood, the Celtics could be staring at a scenario where they might be without their best player for most of — if not all — of the 2025-26 season.
“Worst case scenario, this is an Achilles [injury]. Best case scenario is torn ligaments in his ankle or something,” longtime basketball writer Bill Simmons said Monday night of Tatum’s injury. “Either way, done for the series and god only knows for how long.”
As Celtics fans await word on the status of Bostons’ franchise star, ESPN’s Shams Charania offered up a discouraging update on Tuesday evening.
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“The Boston Celtics are bracing for the worst around Jayson Tatum and that right foot,” Charania said. “He underwent an MRI today in New York City, and the Celtics — since last night — have been expecting a severe injury for Tatum.”
Shams:
"The Boston Celtics are bracing for the worst around Jayson Tatum and that right foot. The Celtics since last night have been expecting a severe injury for Tatum" pic.twitter.com/lNUSTNRYj4
— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) May 13, 2025
A severe injury to Tatum holds both short-term and long-term ramifications for the Celtics.
Boston is currently on the brink of elimination following a Game 4 loss that has the defending NBA champions in a 3-1 series deficit against the Knicks. Tatum was the lone bright spot for Boston on Monday at Madison Square Garden — scoring 42 points with eight rebounds, four assists, and four steals before his injury.
With Tatum likely sidelined for Game 5 against New York, Boston will look to keep its season alive on Wednesday night at TD Garden.
“We have the talent, we have a lot of talent,” Kristaps Porzingis said. “Even with JT out, even me maybe playing 10-15 minutes, we have the guys and we’ve shown in the past that we can play still really good basketball.
“Obviously, like, there’s no replacement for this guy, no? Like, this is a big hit for us, 100 percent. But again, we have to play with the hand we’re dealt right now, and this is it. Going forward, maybe not, maybe not. Who knows? I don’t know. But we’re gonna play with what we have.”
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Conor Ryan
Sports Writer
Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.
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