5:20 pm: After being upgraded from doubtful to questionable about an hour ago, Tatum will make his return on Friday for Game 3, tweets Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. Brown will also be available, but Holiday has been ruled out.
2:24 pm: The Celtics could be shorthanded for Friday’s Game 3 in Orlando. In their initial injury report on Thursday, the team listed Jrue Holiday as questionable with a right hamstring strain and Jayson Tatum as doubtful with a right distal radius bone bruise, tweets Jared Weiss of The Athletic.
On Friday, reigning Finals MVP Jaylen Brown was also added to the injury report, having been listed as questionable due to a right knee posterior impingement (Twitter link via Weiss). Brown has been managing the knee injury for several weeks.
Tatum was sidelined for Boston’s Game 2 victory after injuring his right wrist in Game 1. It seems likely that he will miss Friday’s contest as well.
It remains to be seen if Holiday and Brown will be forced to miss tonight’s game, but it’s certainly not ideal for the Celtics that both players are battling injuries.
Brown is coming off an excellent Game 2 performance, finishing with 36 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. Boston currently holds a 2-0 lead in the first-round series.
A fourth Celtics starter, Kristaps Porzingis, sustained a cut which required five stitches Wednesday after being inadvertently elbowed by Goga Bitadze, per Baxton Holmes of ESPN. However, Porzingis was able to return to the game and downplayed the gash after the victory.
“Honestly, how can I not come [back] out?” Porzingis said. “Like, ‘Oh, I have five stitches, I can’t play anymore.’ My legs work, everything works, so of course I’m going to be out there. And you know me. I like these moments. Coming back out again, getting a little love from the crowd. It just happens within the game and this is not going to stop me. So I’m going to keep going.”
Wonder how many would be “questionable” or “doubtful” if this were the finals? Sounds like Maz is willing to dump a game to protect his crew. Hope it’s worth the risk.
I would if I were him
Agree
The “risk” of Orlando winning 4 of the next 5 is zero.
Cavs almost blew the gm vs 30 win heat they dont scare anyone, C’s banged up to hell. Easy road to the finals for indy
You’re adorable.
😂
Easy road for Indy so long as Jim Irsay isn’t the one driving lmao
If it’s an easy road and they make it, then it was because of the easy road. If it’s an easy road and they don’t make it, then they must not be very good.
If they make finals, its bc they’re better than the bucks and cavs and knicks. If C’s healthy, indy probly cant win 4/7. If bostons down a player their opponent still gotta play the game and beat the reigning champs. why everyone hatin on pacers? Solid balanced fast paced tm that went to ecf last yr. I’ll bet $ ya’ll havent even watched a single indy gm this yr, ya’ll dont even know what you talkin bout