NEW YORK — The defending champion Boston Celtics left Madison Square Garden beaten and bruised. Now, they must go home and win Wednesday to avoid taking an early summer vacation.
The New York Knicks took a 3-1 series lead with a 121-113 victory Monday night that saw them come back from a 14-point deficit after it looked like Boston would run away with the game as it did in Game 3.
It was the Knicks who used timely 3-point shooting to get back into the game, and although the Celtics hit 18 3s in the loss, they couldn’t sustain the momentum in front of a raucous Garden crowd.
The Celtics will try to climb back into the series when it shifts to TD Garden on Wednesday for Game 5 (7 p.m. ET, TNT).
Here’s a look at the winners and losers of the New York Knicks vs. Boston Celtics Game 4:
WINNERS
Jalen Brunson
The NBA’s Clutch Player of the Year took over the game in the second half, scoring 18 points in the third quarter and finishing with 39. Brunson hit four 3-pointers and also had 12 assists and five rebounds in the victory, which put the Knicks one win from their first conference finals appearance in 25 years.
Jalen Brunson’s teammates
Brunson was one of four Knicks who scored 20 or more points. Mikal Bridges had a big fourth quarter with 12 of his 23 points. Karl-Anthony Towns added 23 points and 12 rebounds, and OG Anunoby bounced back by scoring 20 points after he had only seven points in the previous two games, combined.
LOSERS
Celtics without Jayson Tatum
If Jayson Tatum, who scored 42 points in the loss, misses any significant time with a non-contact lower leg injury, the Celtics will need others to pick it up. Jaylon Brown and Derrick White did their part in Game 4, but starters Jrue Holiday and Al Horford combined to score nine points while taking only seven total shots.
“He’s the type of guy that gets right up. So, he didn’t, and we’ll know tomorrow exactly what it is. It’s tough to watch a guy like him get carried off like that,” Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla said about Tatum, who will get an MRI on Tuesday to determine the severity of the injury.
Celtics defense
The thing that carried Boston to a Game 3 victory let them down in the second half. The Celtics allowed Brunson to get going from the perimeter, which allowed him to find open teammates when they collapsed down on him in the paint. Boston allowed New York to shoot 54.3% from the field, were out-rebounded 43-31, and allowed 64 points in the paint.