Celtics Drop Big Jrue Holiday Update Ahead of Knicks Showdown
Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics extended their quest for consecutive titles by beating the Orlando Magic with a 4-1 series win in the opening round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs.
Beating Orlando in five games was definitely not an effortless feat for Boston. Led by Paolo Banchero, Orlando maintained one of the top defenses in the league, pushing the Celtics to deviate from their long-range shooting strategy.
The aggressive play from the Magic resulted in some injuries for Boston players. Tatum suffered a wrist injury during Game 1, causing him to sit out Game 2. Jaylen Brown continues to grapple with ongoing knee problems.
However, as the second-round series against the New York Knicks approaches, the more worrying injury for Boston might be that of Jrue Holiday.
Holiday sustained a hamstring injury which caused him to sit out the last three games of the Magic series. He significantly impacted Games 1 and 2 as an all-defensive guard, effectively curbing Banchero’s and Franz Wagner’s scoring opportunities during isolation plays.
On Friday, Celtics' head coach Joe Mazzulla disclosed that Holiday was marked as day-to-day For Game 1 on Monday.
“On a daily basis,” Mazzulla stated. “He just focuses on improving each day and does everything possible to put himself in the best position to return as quickly as he can. He’s really putting in the effort.”
Nevertheless, on Sunday, the Celtics published their injury report only a day ahead of the game, and it contained no entries, suggesting that Holiday ought to be available for Game 1 against the Knicks.
Against the Magic, Holiday put up averages of 10.0 points, 3.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists (leading his team), and 1.5 steals across two contests.
The Celtics will undoubtedly be pleased to welcome back their two-way guard, particularly when going up against Jalen Brunson and the star-studded Knicks starting five. The first game of the series kicks off on Monday at 7:00 p.m. ET at TD Garden.
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