Jayson Tatum left hospital and rejoined his Boston teammates in New York three days after surgery on his ruptured right Achilles tendon.
The visit came before Game 6 against the Knicks, with the Celtics trying to keep their season alive without their leading player.
Teammates check on Tatum
Tatum had remained in New York after Tuesday’s operation and met the team at its hotel on Thursday.
Payton Pritchard said the players avoided basketball talk and focused on how their teammate was coping as a person.
Sam Hauser said Tatum appeared in good spirits and would want the Celtics to keep winning rather than dwell on his injury.
Boston responds in Game 5
The Celtics extended the series with a 127-102 home victory two nights after Tatum went down.
Derrick White scored 34 points and Boston made 22 three-pointers to earn its first home win of the series.
The result cut New York’s lead to 3-2 and sent the teams back to Madison Square Garden.
Celtics try to force a seventh game
Boston needed another win to bring Game 7 back to TD Garden.
Only 13 teams had recovered from a 3-1 deficit to win an NBA playoff series, leaving the defending champions with little margin for error.
Tatum faced a recovery expected to last around nine months. His return to the team could not repair the loss on court, but it gave his teammates an emotional lift before their biggest game of the season.
