Celtics Ahead of Must-Win Game Without Tatum

NEW YORK — The Boston Celtics face a must-win situation against the New York Knicks Friday night, aiming to force a decisive Game 7 in the Eastern Conference semifinals. However, they will have to do so without star player Jayson Tatum, who recently underwent season-ending surgery.

Tatum, 27, was discharged from a New York hospital following successful surgery to repair a ruptured right Achilles tendon. He suffered the injury late in a critical Game 4, which ended in a 121-113 loss to the Knicks. Tatum had the chance to reunite with teammates Thursday at their hotel for the first time since being carried off the court.

Celtics guard Payton Pritchard spoke about the emotional impact of seeing Tatum. “It sucks to see someone go down like that who doesn’t deserve it,” Pritchard said. “But he wouldn’t want more than us to just keep winning. He seems to be in good spirits. Definitely thinking about him and trying to get some wins for him.”

Tatum’s recovery is expected to take around nine months. He previously faced a similar challenge after tearing his Achilles tendon during the 2019 NBA Finals, which sidelined him for the entire 2019-20 season.

The Celtics are using Tatum’s injury as motivation to push through. Pritchard noted that their visit with Tatum was about more than basketball. “We didn’t talk about basketball at all. That stuff is bigger than basketball now,” he said. “It’s seeing how he is as a person and how he’s dealing with stuff. The basketball side, we’ll handle that.”

If the Celtics can secure a win Friday night, they will advance to Game 7, scheduled for Monday night in Boston. Boston hopes to become the 14th team in NBA history to overcome a 3-1 series deficit.