NBA News NBA News, Match Reports and Updates
NEW YORK— Celtics star Jayson Tatum will be nearby Madison Square Garden as Boston confronts a crucial win-or-go-home scenario against the New York Knicks on Friday night, as the reigning champions aim to push the series to a deciding Game 7.
Tatum has been discharged from a hospital in New York after undergoing season-ending surgery to fix his ruptured right Achilles tendon, an injury he sustained during Boston’s 121-113 defeat to the Knicks in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.
The 27-year-old All-Star had his first chance to reconnect with his teammates on Thursday at their hotel since being carried off the court due to his injury. Following a procedure on Tuesday that the team deemed successful, he has been recuperating in New York City.
“It’s tough to witness someone go down like that, especially someone who doesn’t deserve it,” remarked Celtics guard Sam Hauser to various reporters during the team’s shootaround on Friday morning. “But he would want nothing more than for us to keep winning. We saw him yesterday, and he appears to be in good spirits. We’re definitely thinking of him and striving to secure some victories for him.”
Tatum is anticipated to take about nine months to recover from his injury. Kevin Durant, who tore his Achilles tendon in the 2019 NBA Finals, missed the entire 2019-20 season as a result.
While playing for Tatum has become a motivating force for the team as they head into Game 6, Celtics guard Payton Pritchard mentioned that seeing their “brother” provided an emotional boost for everyone involved.
“We didn’t discuss basketball at all. This goes beyond just the game,” said Pritchard. “It’s important to see how he’s doing as a person and how he’s coping with everything. We’ll take care of the basketball side later; first, we wanted to check in as friends.”
Should the Celtics emerge victorious on Friday night, Game 7 will take place on Monday evening in Boston.
The team is attempting to become only the 14th squad in NBA history to come back from a 3-1 deficit to win a best-of-seven series.
