NEW YORK (AP) — Jalen Brunson and the New York Knicks had just taken control of the game with another fourth-quarter kick when Jayson Tatum fell to the court with a potentially severe right leg injury.
The specifics of Tatum’s injury are uncertain but the situation in the Eastern Conference semifinals is clear.
The Knicks need one more victory to reach the conference finals for the first time in 25 years. The Celtics need to match the biggest comeback in NBA history to extend their title reign.
Brunson had 39 points and 12 assists, and the Knicks pushed the defending champions to the brink of elimination with a 121-113 victory Monday night in Game 4.
Blown out in Game 3, the Knicks dominated the second half to become the first home team to win in this series.
“I think it was a sense of urgency, desperation, just knowing that we have a great opportunity,” Brunson said.
The Celtics will have to make the NBA’s 14th comeback from a 3-1 deficit and may have to do it without Tatum, who was carried off the court with a right leg injury with 2:58 left.
Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns each added 23 points and OG Anunoby bounced back from two poor performances by scoring 20 for the Knicks, who can win the series Wednesday night at Boston. If not, they would come back to Madison Square Garden to try to do it Friday night.
Tatum scored 42 points, his high in these playoffs, before he was hurt when the Celtics turned the ball over and his leg gave out as he tried to lunge forward toward the loose ball.
Nobody has come from 3-1 down since Denver did it twice in 2020 at the Walt Disney World resort. It hasn’t happened when a team had to win a true road game since Cleveland rallied past Golden State in the 2016 NBA Finals.
WOLVES 117, WARRIORS 110
In San Francisco, Anthony Edwards let it fly from 30 feet just before the halftime buzzer and his 3-pointer provided some much-needed momentum that Minnesota took right into a commanding third quarter.
Edwards also spoke up to his team at halftime and Chris Finch credited that pep talk for setting the tone ahead of an impressive second half.
Edwards scored 30 points, Julius Randle had 31 and the Timberwolves beat the Golden State Warriors 117-110 on Monday night for a 3-1 lead in their Western Conference playoff series.
Staying close at halftime was key.
“It was huge because it felt like one of those games where we were going to struggle to find a rhythm,” Finch said. “I thought we might be down eight, 10 at halftime with the way that we had played. Fortunately, I thought his shot made it pretty much an even game and if we came out with the type of purpose that we needed to I felt we were going to be OK.”
Now, it’s back home to Minneapolis for the Wolves with a chance to clinch the best-of-seven Western Conference semifinal series in Game 5 on Wednesday night.
The Warriors will still be without Stephen Curry, who sat out his third game in a row and is scheduled to have his strained left hamstring re-evaluated that day.
“We’re not going to Superman this thing,” Draymond Green said. “If he’s in a place where he can play, I’m sure he will.”
Edwards made consecutive 3-pointers and scored 11 total points in a decisive 17-0 Minnesota run that put the Timberwolves ahead 85-68 late in the third. They led 97-77 going into the fourth and the Warriors couldn’t catch up.
Edwards — coming off a 36-point performance in a Game 3 — hit that big shot that pulled Minnesota within 60-58 at the break. And the Wolves delivered in the second half again after also trailing by two points at halftime in a 102-97 victory in Game 3.
Jonathan Kuminga came off the bench to score 23 points and convert 11 of 12 free throws for the Warriors, following up his 30-point performance in Game 3 with another gem.
Jaden McDaniels added 10 points and 13 rebounds for Minnesota.
Buddy Hield went down briefly 4:17 before halftime after McDaniels grabbed at the guard’s neck and pulled the back of his jersey. The play went to replay review as fans chanted “You can’t do that!” but was deemed a common foul rather than a flagrant.
Golden State has now dropped three in a row since Curry hurt his leg early in Game 1 last Tuesday night.
The Warriors were slow getting their offense and 3-point shooting going in a 102-97 loss Saturday and it was much of the same this game.
Jimmy Butler and Green scored 14 points apiece and Hield 13.
Even without Curry, Finch’s defensive game plan focused on keeping the Warriors from their dangerous 3-point flurries — and Golden State wound up 8 of 27 from deep.
