Knicks' Josh Hart Sustains Bloody Eye Cut During Loss to Celtics

New York Knicks guard Josh Hart faced an early setback in his team's Game 5 matchup against the Boston Celtics, suffering a cut above his eye after taking an elbow to the face late in the first quarter. The injury forced Hart to step out for medical attention, and he later received stitches to close the wound.

Despite the injury, Hart delivered a gritty performance, finishing as the Knicks' leading scorer with 24 points. “Eye’s peachy,” Hart told reporters after the game, brushing off concerns about his condition following New York’s 127-105 loss.

The intensity on the court was not limited to Hart’s injury. Tensions flared in the third quarter when Hart and Celtics forward Jaylen Brown were involved in a physical altercation that required officials and teammates to separate them. The scuffle began after Brown became entangled on a screen set by Hart, leading to a brief pushing match.

“It was just two guys that are extremely competitive,” Hart said. “He’s a passionate, competitive player. We were tied at halftime; he’s trying to give their team a spark and momentum and the same thing with me.”

After the final whistle, both players appeared to put the incident behind them as cooler heads prevailed.

Jaylen Brown played a crucial role in Boston’s win, contributing 26 points and 12 assists. With Jayson Tatum sidelined due to injury, Brown shouldered more of the offensive load and helped bring the Celtics closer to tying the series.

Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla praised his team’s resilience, stating, “You don’t get to pick the test that you have, you pick how you respond to them.”

Another standout for Boston was Derrick White, who led all scorers with 34 points, including seven made three-pointers. “Losing JT is tough,” White admitted. “But we’ve got a lot of guys that are highly competitive, and we didn’t want the season to end tonight.”

• Josh Hart led the Knicks with 24 points despite a bloody cut that required stitches.
• Jaylen Brown responded to Jayson Tatum’s absence with 26 points, 12 assists.
• Derrick White dominated for Boston, hitting 7 threes and scoring 34.
• The Celtics forced a Game 6, which will be played Friday night in New York.
  

Game 6 is set for Friday night at Madison Square Garden, where the Knicks will try to hold off a surging Celtics squad intent on keeping their postseason hopes alive.