The Boston Celtics championship defense is still alive. In the team's first game since losing star forward Jayson Tatum, big nights from Jaylen Brown and Derrick White helped steer the team to a 127-102 victory over the New York Knicks and cut the series deficit to 3-2.

The Celtics star appeared to grab Josh Hart’s crotch while trying to get around a pick in the early moments of the second half of the Game 5 matchup at TD Garden on Wednesday night. Hart did not take kindly to the apparent cup-check, shoving Brown in a testy exchange over that resulted in technical fouls for both.

The Celtics are in a 3-1 series hole after dropping Game 4 on Monday in Madison Square Garden, shellshocked not only by the loss of Tatum but by the reality of facing elimination when the plan was to repeat as champions.

Upon review, both Hart and Brown were given technical fouls for the incident. Brown was also hit with a personal foul on the play.

Jaylen Brown and the Boston Celtics now trail the New York Knicks 3-1 in their second-round NBA playoff series after a 121-113 loss Monday night. To make matters worse, they also lost Jayson Tatum to what appeared to be a serious injury. Brown finished the game with 20 points, seven rebounds, and two assists.

Jaylen Brown has always been regarded as the wingman to Jayson Tatum, even after winning NBA Finals MVP. Now he has a chance to prove he can do it alone.

SportsLine's Mike McClure, a daily Fantasy pro with more than $2 million in winnings, gives optimal NBA DFS lineup advice for Wednesday, May 14

The Athletic’s John Hollinger’s recent trade idea stunningly sends the Boston Celtics' No. 2 scoring option, Jaylen Brown, to the Mavericks for a generational Duke forward. "The other avenue, we must whisper, is asking Boston about Jaylen Brown,” Hollinger wrote Tuesday.