Jaylen Brown will need to step up in Game 5 to keep the Celtics alive.
Jaylen Brown will need to step up in Game 5 to keep the Celtics alive.Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff
It’s do-or-die time for the Celtics.
A win on Wednesday in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinals keeps their season alive. A loss, and the title defense is over.
They will, of course, be without star Jayson Tatum. Tatum underwent Achilles’ repair surgery on Tuesday after going down in Game 4 at Madison Square Garden.
Sam Hauser is available for the Celtics. No Knicks players are on the injury report.
Game 5 tips off at 7 p.m. on TNT. Follow along with live updates and analysis from TD Garden.
Celtics-Knicks: Game 5 live updates
Link copied
Click here to refresh | Sign up for Garden Party, our Celtics playoffs newsletter
Jayson Tatum ruptured his Achilles’ tendon. Local doctors weigh in on what’s next. — 5:45 p.m.
Link copied
When Jayson Tatum fell to the floor at Madison Square Garden on Monday night, it was clear something was very wrong.
Celtics fans’ worst fears were realized Tuesday when the team announced that Tatum had ruptured his right Achilles’ tendon in the closing minutes of Boston’s Eastern Conference semifinal loss to the Knicks.
Tatum underwent surgery to repair the tendon on Tuesday, and the team said there is no timetable for his return. The team did not say who performed the surgery or where it was done.
The six-time All-Star is expected to make a “full recovery,” the team said. But for an injury that is one of the most serious in professional sports, it’s not clear what that could look like.
“Unfortunately, this is the most serious tendon that can be injured in the ankle and foot region,” said Dr. Kurt Hofmann, an orthopedic surgeon at New England Baptist Hospital. “It’s really a significant injury to sustain.”
Read what orthopedic surgeons told the Globe about Achilles’ injuries here.
Jayson Tatum shares photo from surgery recovery — 5:30 p.m.
Link copied
One day after undergoing surgery to repair a ruptured Achilles’ tendon, Celtics forward Jayson Tatum on Wednesday posted a picture on Instagram of himself in a hospital bed giving a thumbs-up and smiling, with the caption, “Thankful for all the love and support.”
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Jayson Tatum🙏🏀 (@jaytatum0)
In the photo, Tatum’s right foot is wrapped in a large cast and propped up slightly on a pillow. The post received more than 250,000 likes in 20 minutes, with former Patriots star Tom Brady and Suns star Kevin Durant among the many supporters.
Emma Healy can be reached at emma.healy@globe.com or on X @ByEmmaHealy. Amin Touri can be reached at amin.touri@globe.com. Katie McInerney can be reached at katie.mcinerney@globe.com. Follow her @k8tmac.