Knicks deliver masterpiece in Game 4, take 3-1 lead over Celtics and move one Win from the East Finals

In what might have been their most complete performance of the season—and perhaps their finest in the past 25 years—the New York Knicks delivered a statement win at Madison Square Garden, outlasting the defending champion Boston Celtics 121-113 in Game 4.

The victory gave the Knicks a commanding 3-1 series lead, flipping preseason expectations and regular-season results on their head.

But the Celtics suffered more than just a loss on the scoreboard: All-NBA forward Jayson Tatum, went down late in the fourth quarter with a non-contact ankle injury that could sideline him long-term.

As the Knicks moved to within one win of their first Eastern Conference Finals appearance since 2000, Boston was left reeling—down 3-1 in the series and now without their best player.

Jalen Brunson was the maestro once again, dropping 39 points on 14-of-25 shooting while dishing out 12 assists. Karl-Anthony Towns added 23 points and 11 assists of his own, while Mikal Bridges poured in 23 points, grabbed 7 rebounds, and racked up 4 steals in a defensive display that repeatedly shifted momentum.

The Knicks didn’t need a 20-point comeback this time. Instead, they chipped away steadily after trailing by as many as 14 early in the third quarter when Derrick White knocked down a corner three to give Boston a 72-58 lead. But New York answered immediately with a 9-0 run—Brunson scoring the first seven—and the Garden erupted.

By the end of the third, Brunson had scored 18 of his 39 points, and the Knicks had outscored Boston 37-23 in the quarter to get back in the game.

With one minute left in the third, Brunson tied it at 83 with a tough pull-up jumper. After a Tatum bucket at the other end, OG Anunoby stepped into a smooth three to give the Knicks their first lead since early in the game.

Leading 105-104 with 5:22 left in the fourth, the Knicks unloaded an 11-0 run that left the Celtics—and their crowd—absolutely stunned. The stretch gave the Knicks a 116-104 lead with 2:25 remaining, their largest of the series. From that point on, the rest was just clock management.

“It takes a whole team to beat them.”

– Karl-Anthony Towns

Tatum, who had carried Boston with 42 points, 7 threes, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, and 4 steals, collapsed with 2:58 left after a non-contact injury and immediately clutched his left ankle. He was later seen headling to lockers in a wheelchair, and early speculation is a serious Achilles injury that could sideline him for a year or more. A devastating blow to Boston—and to the NBA.

White added 23 points and hit six threes, Jaylen Brown scored 20, but Boston’s energy vanished after Tatum’s injury. Kristaps Porziņgis, coming off the bench for the third time this series, looked like a shell of his old self, scoring just 7 points in limited minutes.

Anunoby had 20 points on 8-of-14 shooting and was rock solid on both ends. His third-quarter three was a turning point, and he stayed locked in throughout.

With this win, the Knicks are on the doorstep of history. One more victory would send them to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2000. Waiting could be a familiar foe—the Indiana Pacers—who also lead their second-round series against the Cavaliers 3-1. The last three times the Knicks reached the East Finals, they faced Indiana: winning in 1994 and 1999, then falling to Reggie Miller’s Pacers in 2000.

But that chapter hasn’t arrived just yet. First, the Knicks must close the door. Game 5 is set for Wednesday night at 7:00 p.m. at TD Garden, and all eyes will be on whether New York can finish what it started—or if Boston, wounded but proud, has one last push left.