The Boston Celtics will be without Jayson Tatum for Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, dealing a crushing blow to their title defense against the New York Knicks.
Tatum suffered a torn right Achilles tendon late in the fourth quarter of Game 4 and underwent surgery on Tuesday, officially ruling him out for the remainder of the 2024–25 NBA season.
The Celtics listed Sam Hauser as probable with a right ankle sprain, while no other players are on the injury report ahead of Wednesday’s elimination game at TD Garden.
New York enters Game 5 at full strength and one win away from its first Eastern Conference Finals appearance since 2000.
Boston, the No. 2 seed in the East, now faces the task of becoming just the 14th team in NBA history to overcome a 3-1 series deficit.
No team has achieved that feat in the playoffs without a bubble environment since the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2016 NBA Finals.
Boston had led by double digits in all four games of the series but has lost three of them, including both matchups at home.
Tip-off for Game 5 is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET tonight, where the Celtics will try to keep their season alive without their leading scorer.
