Jayson Tatum injury: Knicks stars share ‘prayers’ for Celtics standout
NEW YORK Before answering questions about how he carved up the Celtics defense in Competition of the Eastern Conference semifinals Jalen Brunson shared several words of backing for Jayson Tatum Prayers out to JT first and foremost the Knicks star reported at the start of his postgame news conference after New York s - win over Boston at Madison Square Garden Tatum suffered what appeared to be a serious lower leg injury late in the fourth quarter He writhed in pain on the court had to be carried off by Celtics staffers and was seen on ESPN s broadcast riding in a wheelchair after exiting down the tunnel I thought he rolled his ankle explained Brunson who scored points to lead New York back from a -point third-quarter deficit Obviously you want to go out there and compete but when a competitor of his caliber goes down and he s rolling in pain like that you know something s wrong That s why I just gave my thoughts and prayers You never want to see something like that ever Related Articles Celtics teammates stunned by Jayson Tatum s injury It didn t look good Jayson Tatum admits mistake on final play takes full ownership of struggles Callahan Jayson Tatum put the Celtics in a - hole against the Knicks Joe Mazzulla downplays Celtics shot selection after playoff record -pointers Callahan Celtics collapse in Tournament was self-inflicted Knicks big man Karl-Anthony Towns also stated he was praying for Tatum I saw him down on the court It looked bad Towns announced Prayers to him and his family Never want to see anybody in the NBA get hurt like that Hope it s something minor and not something major He added I ve been in a situation like that with my calf I just walked up obviously respectfully of his space I just put my head down and prayed to my mother prayed to God to put protection over him and comfort Whatever the injury may be I hope it s minor like I revealed Whatever the process he has to go through hopefully is a quick painless process and we see him back in the NBA The NBA requirements that kind of superstar talent that he is I know we re competing at the highest level in the playoffs but this is a brotherhood Tatum will undergo an MRI on Tuesday to determine the extent of his injury Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla revealed If the determination is a torn Achilles he would be looking at a lengthy recovery that could wipe out his entire - season I never want to see a athlete get hurt Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau noted And I know he s been a great contestant and he s a great guy too so I hope it s not a serious injury Tatum turned in a standout performance before his injury racking up points eight rebounds four assists four steals and two blocks in a losing effort The -year-old six-time All-Star has never missed more than games in any of his eight NBA seasons and has missed just one career playoff meeting
