On home ground, the New York Knicks won 121-113 to go up 3-1 in the series. Despite pushing the defending champions to the brink, that’s not the story of this game.
In the fourth quarter of a tight game, Jayson Tatum ($9,700, 71.5 FPTS) went down in a heap, apparently injuring his right Achilles. It’s another travesty in a long line of tragic injuries this playoffs. If the worst is confirmed, he’d be the second star to go down with a torn Achilles along with Damian Lillard, in addition to a litany of other, less significant stars across the league in the playoffs. It raises questions about the miles being put on these stars.
Boston got a strong performance from Derrick White ($6,700, 31.75 FPTS), his 23 points, and his exceptional defense. Jaylen Brown ($7,200, 30.75 FPTS) pitched in his usual 20 points along with seven rebounds, but it wasn’t enough after the devastating injury. Down 3-1 and facing elimination without its superstar, Boston will have to dig deep to avoid an early vacation.
For the Knicks, Jalen Brunson ($8,200, 66.25 FPTS) played his usual excellent brand of basketball, racking up 39 points and 12 assists. He scored or assisted on 25 of New York’s points in the third quarter to key a comeback. Once again, Karl-Anthony Towns ($7,500, 39.75 FPTS) produced a double-double with 23 points and 11 rebounds. This star duo has been the key to their playoff run and has New York knocking on the door of a conference finals appearance.
Game 5 will be played in Boston on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. ET. The Celtics open as 4.5-point home favorites, and the game total is set at 208.5 points on DraftKings Sportsbook.
