Blessings, Knicks Towns talks about Tatum s injury: I will pray for him, hope it s just a minor injury

In the intense second round of the series, the Knicks led the Celtics 3-1, and Carl Anthony Towns expressed his sincere blessings to Jason Tatum.

The New York Knicks took them 3-1 in Game 4 at Madison Square Garden Monday night, forcing them to the brink of elimination. But attention quickly shifted from the Knicks’ outstanding performance to the devastating injuries that Celtics star Jason Tatum could face.

Tatum left the field with only more than three minutes left in the fourth quarter due to a non-contact injury to the lower limbs. He had to get out of the field with someone else's help, and then left the field in a wheelchair.

Before his injury, Tatum performed well, scoring 42 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals and 2 blocks in 40 minutes of playing time, shooting 16 of 28 shots and 7 of 16 shots from 16 shots.

After the game, Knicks center Carl Anthony Towns - who made 11 of 15 shots, scored a team-high 23 points, 11 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 block - expressed his support and concern for Tatum in an interview with Celtics head coach Bobby Manning after the game.

"I will pray for him," said Towns. "If you see me on the court, I really want to pray for him. He looks bad. Pray for him and his family. You never want to see someone in the NBA with that injury. I hope it's just a minor injury, not a big injury." Jason Tatum will undergo an MRI test, and the Knicks are approaching the Eastern Conference Finals spot for the first time since 2000, Celtics head coach Joe Mazura confirmed to reporters after the game that Tatum will undergo an MRI test on Tuesday to determine the extent of the injury.

"I talked to the medical staff; they told me it was a lower limb injury and he will undergo an MRI [on Tuesday]," Mazula said. "We'll wait and see."

Towns was traded to the Knicks by the Minnesota Timberwolves last offseason. He went on to talk about the widespread impact of injuries on the league as a whole.

"(I hope) whatever he is going to go through, we can see him return to the NBA," he said. "The NBA needs superstars like him. I know we are competing for the highest level in the playoffs, but it's our brotherly friendship." The Knicks will head to Boston for Game 5, which will air on TNT on Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET. If the Knicks win, they will advance to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2000, when they lost to the Indiana Pacers in six games. Game 5 on Tuesday night is approaching, with the Pacers currently leading the Cleveland Cavaliers with a 3-1 series score, and the two teams may face off again.

The Celtics are now in danger of being eliminated and may have lost the cornerstone of the team, and Tatum's position will take a significant role in the rest of the series.