Fantasy Basketball

White was the Celtics second leading scorer in Game 4, but he was the only consistent scorer for Boston outside of Jayson Tatum. The 30-year-old point guard got all of his points on six three-pointers and five free throws. Unfortunately for the Celtics it wasn’t enough as Boston was trailing when Tatum went down with a lower leg injury in the final minutes, essentially taking a comeback off the table. The Celtics will look to stave off elimination with their backs against the wall at home in Game 5 on Wednesday.

Tatum was playing a whale of a game before going down with what appeared to be a non-contact lower body injury in the final minutes. The 27-year-old small forward had given the Celtics everything they needed up to that point as he kept them in the game with his fifth career 40-point playoff performance. While specifics have yet to come out about Tatum’s injury, Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla told reporters that he’ll undergo an MRI on Tuesday. It’s safe to say it was a significant injury given Tatum’s anxious reaction and that he was carried off the floor by trainers before taking a wheelchair to the locker room. The Celtics are now down 3-1 in the series and with Tatum unlikely to make it back before a possible Game 7, a potential comeback has become that much more difficult.

Towns has now had at least 21 points in each of the last three games against the Celtics. While the Celtics struggled to get much offense from anyone beside Jayson Tatum in Game 4, Towns, Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby all had at least 20 points in support of Jalen Brunson, who had 39 points. Towns put up another double-double despite quietly playing through a finger injury he suffered in Game 3. The Knicks will have their first chance to advance to the Eastern Conference finals in Game 5 in Boston on Wednesday.

14 of Bridges 23 points came in the second half of one of the biggest Knicks playoff wins in decades. The 28-year-old small forward was his usual active self on the defensive end with four steals and a block. Still, his offensive contributions were potentially even more important, especially with so many of his points coming in the second half and when Jalen Brunson took a rest at the start of the fourth quarter. Bridges has been a thorn in the Celtics’ side this series and will look to keep that going in a potential close out game in Game 5 on Wednesday.

Brunson recorded his fourth playoff game with at least 35 points and at least 10 assists since joining the Knicks on Monday. His 39-point performance, which included 18 points in the third quarter alone, has the Knicks one win away from the Eastern Conference finals. With the Knicks up 3-1 in the series, they’ll have three chances to close out the Celtics, starting with Game 5 in Boston on Wednesday.

While Hauser was listed as questionable for Game 4 with an ankle injury, he hasn’t seen any game action since leaving early in Game 1 of the series. Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla turned to Payton Pritchard for a series-high 35 minutes off the bench in Game 3 as the Celtics got back in the series with a 22-point victory. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see that recipe for success replicated in Game 4.

Mitchell didn’t return after halftime of Sunday’s blowout loss, and Ty Jerome started in his place for the second half. The Cavs were getting stomped 80-39, but apparently the injury is more serious than initially thought, and his absence in the second half was more than precautionary. If he’s unable to go, Jerome would likely get the starting nod as Cleveland faces elimination at home down 3-1 in the series.

No surprises here, as rumors of Antetokounmpo’s future with another team swirled as the season came to a close. Milwaukee finished the regular season 48-34 as the fifth seed in the East, and the Bucks were knocked out of the first round in a gentlemen’s sweep to the rival Pacers. With Damian Lillard out for most if not all of next season, the Bucks may choose to trade Antetokounmpo in the offseason and get a jumpstart on the impending rebuild. Fantasy managers should keep a close eye on an Antetokounmpo trade this offseason, as his future plans will be one of the biggest headlines heading into the 2025-26 season and could drastically shift fantasy values for a few other players.

Toppin has been a solid reserve for Indiana all season, but he hadn’t been as productive in the postseason until Game 4. This was the second-highest scoring playoff game of Toppin’s career, narrowly finishing behind his 21-point game against the Bucks last season. Toppin will continue to play a large role off the bench, but the odds of him reaching 20 points again are slim.

For the fourth time in Indiana’s last six games, Turner scored 20 points. This time, it only took him 22 minutes. Turner has been a big part of the offense recently, and the strategy is working; they are 4-0 when he scores at least 20 points during this postseason, and they’re 17-2 over the course of the entire season when he reaches 20 points. Turner will continue to feature heavily in the offense in Game 5 as the Pacers look to close out this series.