With less than five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter of the Boston Celtics’ 102-88 Game 4 triumph against the Miami Heat, star Jayson Tatum seemed to twist his ankle. This occurred after he landed on Bam Adebayo’s foot after play had ended.
At the moment, Boston led 91-78. The refs had just called Patty Mills for a defensive foul. He pushed Derrick White, who was attempting to block Adebayo, making room for Tatum, who was holding the ball.
Right after the foul call, Tatum shot the ball. Adebayo quickly moved to block it and stuck out his foot, causing Tatum to land on it and twist his ankle. Tatum stayed on the ground, holding his ankle in pain while the officials checked the play. They then gave Adebayo a Flagrant 1 foul.
Earlier, Kristaps Porzingis had to leave the game due to a non-contact injury. Losing Tatum too could have been really bad for Boston’s chances at the title. After the game, Tatum talked to NBC Sports Boston’s Abby Chin about the incident and his ankle.
“I”m fine, I”m good,” Tatum said. “I wasn”t worried about it — move on to the next play, we still had a game to win.”
Tatum had a great game, scoring 20 points, grabbing 11 rebounds, and giving five assists. He also made all eight free throws he attempted.
“We have to play better,” Tatum said. “We have a lead, but this team is not going to give up, so we have to keep fighting, and play desperate in a way.”
“We”ve got a really special team,” Jayson Tatum said in a post-game interview with Abby Chin after Celtics” Game 4 win in Miami
Former Celtics guard Eddie House commented on the Tatum-Adebayo incident during NBC Sports Boston”s Celtics Postgame Live. He noted that despite their close friendship, Tatum was focused on winning.
“You know what I took from that? It”s that [Tatum] is like, ‘I don”t care, we are just trying to win,'” House mentioned. “I know Bam [Adebayo] and Jayson [Tatum] played on the same AAU team, so they”ve known each other for a long time — they love each other, they are brothers off the court — but it”s about getting this W and moving forward. The bigger goal is the championship — hoisting that Larry O”Brien Trophy.”
House also said that Tatum”s interview showed a new, more focused side of him, aiming to win the championship.
The Celtics now lead the series 3-1 against the Heat and hope to finish it in Boston on Wednesday night. Game 5 is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET, with Mike Gorman and Brian Scalabrine announcing for NBC Sports Boston. Pregame coverage starts at 6:30 p.m. ET.
