Knicks One Win Away from ECF After Brunson Leads Game 4 Despite Tatum’s 42 Points and Injury

Behind Jalen Brunson’s brilliance, Mikal Bridges’ fourth-quarter heroics, and a devastating injury to Jayson Tatum, the Knicks seized control of the series with a statement win at the Garden to take a 3-1 lead over the Boston Celtics, putting them one win away from the Eastern Conference Finals.

Jalen Brunson leads the Knicks to a 3-1 Series lead

Up 2-1 in the series, the Knicks returned to Madison Square Garden for a crucial Game 4 looking to build on their momentum, but Boston came out swinging in a high-paced shootout that tested New York’s resilience from the opening tip.

The Boston Celtics exploded for nine three-pointers in the opening quarter, riding a late 12-0 run to take a 39-28 lead over the New York Knicks in the first quarter, despite some early pushback from the home side.

It all began with Karl-Anthony Towns winning the tip, but it was Derrick White who set the tone early, cashing in on his first three off textbook ball movement. Towns misfired from deep, and Jaylen Brown took advantage of his size over Jalen Brunson to get one to fall. After OG Anunoby bricked a wide-open triple, Towns finally put the Knicks on the board with a strong drive inside.

White stayed hot, knocking down two more threes with a lightning-quick release. He had nine of Boston’s first 11 points. Jayson Tatum, meanwhile, was everywhere, grabbing boards, swatting OG, and converting a slick side-step transition layup after Bridges’ terrific block was nullified by a turnover.

New York kept pace midway though.

Brunson’s pull-up three and Anunoby’s step-back long two sparked a mini 8-0 surge. Hart’s defense on Brown led to a transition dish to OG for a corner triple that gave New York their first lead (17-16), sending the Garden into a frenzy.

But White’s fourth three quieted the storm. Tatum and Porzingis added their touches, and Jaylen Brown’s paint attack helped regain the edge. Even a Brunson-to-Robinson alley-oop slam and Towns’ put-back could not put a stop to their bleeding.

And to make matters worse, Tatum just wouldn't quit his three-ball. He drilled back-to-back threes and Pritchard cashed in off a Brunson turnover, finishing a scorching 12-0 Celtics run to close the quarter.

After one, the Celtics were holding a 39-28 lead over the Knicks, setting an early tone with their offensive fire-power.

The Knicks strung together several promising runs in the second quarter, including a gritty 7-0 spurt, but Boston continued to capitalize on timely shot-making, and Jayson Tatum’s red-hot scoring carried them to a 62-51 lead into halftime.

The quarter opened up with a broken Celtics possession as Tatum’s pass deflected out but stayed in Boston’s hands. Pritchard couldn’t convert his step-back and Towns hauled in the board. His next shot was swatted by Horford but was ruled goaltending, giving him the bucket. On the next few trips, Bridges snagged a steal, McBride drilled a much-needed three, and Towns grabbed a second-chance bucket after Cam Payne’s miss.

Still, the Celtics responded. Brown hit free throws, Horford drilled a triple, and Pritchard spun in a layup to spark a 9-0 Boston run and push the lead back up to 48-35.

However, Bridges stopped the bleeding with a strong finish through the Celtics' busy traffic, then followed his own miss with a put-back tip-in. On top of that, McBride nailed another three after a Towns block on Brown, cutting the gap to just six now.

And aside from the game, OG was briefly off the bench nursing a hamstring concern, but his impact was felt immediately as he splashed a corner three right after revisiting the bench and checking back in.

Then, Towns powered through Tatum and Porzingis for a layup, but Boston’s three-point shooting refused to cool off. Tatum nailed his fourth triple and reached 20 points by halftime. It wasn’t until the 1:20 mark that New York finally earned its first free throws of the half, with Brunson calmly converting both at the line.

But all of that didn’t matter, because it was clear as day the Knicks were struggling to switch properly on open threes during the first half.

And despite improved rebounding (especially by the Blockness Monster) and second-chance efforts, the Knicks just couldn’t close the gap further, heading into the break down 62-51 against the Celtics.

The third quarter was a wild ride at Madison Square Garden, with the Knicks turning up the heat behind Karl-Anthony Towns’ powerful presence inside the paint and Jalen Brunson’s offensive explosion, clawing all the way back to take an 88-85 lead heading into the fourth.

Boston opened the half with a quick layup from Jaylen Brown, but New York didn’t blink. Bridges got things going with a drive to the baseline and a clean finish. Moments later, Towns bullied his way into the paint against White and Holiday, muscled in the bucket, and converted the and-one to bring the crowd back to life.

Anunoby’s deflected ball stayed with the Knicks, and Towns threw down an aggressive slam off a baseline inbounds pass from Brunson. But Tatum responded, hitting his fifth three of the night, and after a wild scramble where Hart stole the ball only to have it stolen again by Tatum, White knocked down a deep three that gave Boston its largest lead of the night at 72-58, forcing a furious Coach Tom Thibodeau timeout.

That’s when Brunson said enough was enough. He drained a clean look from deep right out of the break, then weaved his way through defenders for a smooth layup. Tatum missed from long range, and Brunson attacked again, this time drawing a foul from Brown while taking a three.

However, he landed awkwardly on his bad left ankle right on Brown’s foot and stayed down in pain, an extremely anxious moment for Knicks fans. And after review from that play, the foul was upgraded to a flagrant, Brunson nailing two of the three free-throws, trimming the deficit to just 72-65 now.

Bridges kept the pressure on with a tough make over White, but Derrick White answered again, his sixth triple of the night. Despite the Celtics’ shooting, the Knicks stayed aggressive. Great ball movement led to opportunities, but a bad turnover by Hart turned into a Tatum fast-break dunk.

Another tough blow for the Knicks. Ouch.

Still, Brunson and Towns kept coming. Brunson’s layup fell, Towns cleaned up a miss and brought the lead down to just six, and MSG roared again. Tatum silenced the crowd with a late-clock jumper though, but Brunson returned the favour, faking out White for a deep corner triple.

Brown countered with a strong take, but Brunson refused to cool down. After a steal by Bridges, Towns powered in another bucket. Brunson, playing with fire, hit a tough turnaround jumper after OG’s miss, and suddenly, the Celtics' lead was just two. Tatum missed a three, and after another Celtics misfire, Towns got fouled by Tatum while launching a wild triple that didn’t count, but the energy was surely shifting in the Knicks' favour.

And just like that, Brunson drilled another shot, tying the game at 83 and capping off a 7-0 Knicks run. Tatum hit two free throws, but OG calmly splashed a wide-open trey off a Brunson kick-out to give New York their first lead since early in the first quarter, 86-85.

After that, Hart followed with a driving bank shot, and after a desperate heave from Pritchard, who missed at the buzzer, the Garden was rocking like never before as the Knicks closed the quarter on top of the Celtics, 88-85.

In a fourth quarter filled with momentum swings, clutch buckets, and one devastating injury for the Celtics, Mikal Bridges led the way as the Knicks delivered their most complete performance of the series, closing out a 121-113 win over the Boston Celtics to take a commanding 3-1 lead in the series.

Bridges kicked things off with a smooth mid-range jumper to give New York its largest lead at that point (up by five). Pritchard then answered with two free throws, but Boston was clearly in trouble with Jayson Tatum now on the bench, his right wrist wrapped up. Still, the Celtics kept pushing. Brown sliced inside, and despite a missed challenge on Hart’s fifth foul, the game stayed close.

OG Anunoby’s elite defense disrupted Brown’s passing lane, leading to an impressive Towns' spin and finish. But Tatum returned and immediately made his mark, finishing a tough floater. After some tense back-and-forth, Tatum tied the game with his sixth three of the night. But, that didn't stop the Knicks one bit. New York had responded with a beautiful fake-and-feed from Towns to Mitch for the inside bucket.

Then came the knockout stretch.

A true team effort. (MSG CREDIT)

Bridges hit another mid-range dagger, OG banked one home in transition, and Anunoby drilled a massive triple to put the Knicks back up by three. Tatum wouldn't back out without a fight though, as he tied it up again with a three-point play to notch 40 points on his belt, but the Knicks didn’t flinch. Brunson's hesitation jumper fell, then Bridges scored again. This was when the Celtics finally blinked for good this time. Porzingis missed two free throws. OG capitalized. And then, the play that changed the game.

Bridges ripped the ball from Brown, Anunoby picked it up in stride, and with Tatum trying to recover, OG stormed ahead and threw down the breakaway dunk as Tatum stayed back, collapsing in pain from a non-contact injury. Despite the crowd being in a frenzy after OG’s slam, Tatum was helped off the floor in a wheelchair with an apparent leg injury and was taken to the locker room.

From there, it was all Knicks.

Brunson drilled a step-back three to cap off an 11-0 run, New York’s largest of the series. Brown tried to keep it close, but it was too late. Anunoby laid it in and the crowd were on their feet, clapping through the final minute as the Celtics scrambled.

Despite a brief scare from a Bridges turnover, Boston couldn’t convert, and Brunson’s one made free throw sealed it. The buzzer sounded and MSG erupted, as the Knicks closed out a thrilling 121-113 win over the Celtics.

Overall, the victorious Knicks had four starters in double digits: Brunson led the ship with a double-double (39 points and 12 assists), Towns and Bridges shared 23 points apiece, and OG Anunoby chipped in 20 points with four big-time triples.

On the other hand, the losing Celtics had four players in the double-digit column: Tatum put up impressive numbers despite his injury (42 points and seven threes), White added 23 with six triples, Brown scored 20, and Pritchard contributed 12.

Next up, the New York Knicks will be facing the Boston Celtics on the road for Game 5 at TD Garden (3-1) on Wednesday, May 14, at 7:00 p.m. E.T., with a chance to finish the series and advance to the Eastern Conference Finals Knicks are one win from the ECF.