Celtics’ Jrue Holiday joins Kristaps Porzingis on Game 3 injury report with concerning illness

Holiday has had a tremendous series against Indiana.

Boston Celtics stars Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis in front of TD Garden.

Before the Boston Celtics look to go up 3-0 in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Indiana Pacers, their latest injury report features some integral players to their lineup. Joining the likes of Kristaps Porzingis and Luke Kornet is Celtics star Jrue Holiday who has had a solid series so far against the Pacers.

According to the team’s X (formerly known as Twitter) account, Holiday is listed as “questionable” with an illness as it is also important to mention that it is labeled as “non-COVID.” Porzingis remains out for the game, though it was to be expected as the general consensus seems to believe Game 4 could be the earliest he can play.

Holiday having a great series for the Celtics so far against the Pacers

Boston Celtics guard Jrue Holiday (4) dribbles the ball against the Indiana Pacers in the first half during game two of the eastern conference finals for the 2024 NBA playoffs at TD Garden.David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
As for Holiday, he has been crucial to the Celtics on both sides of the floor and as said before, the veteran has had a really good series on both sides of the ball. In Game 2, Holiday had 15 points on six for seven shooting, making three of four from three-point range while also recording 10 assists as Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla talks the importance of having players like Holiday and Derrick White according to Sports Illustrated.

“Yeah. Utility guys,” Mazzulla said. “Guys that will do anything to win. I feel like that’s kind of what is important. It’s not necessarily getting your stats or seeing what it looks like, but doing whatever it takes to win. Derrick’s done a great job this whole season of just setting up the offense. Getting [us into the] things we need. I mean, he talks to me so much, telling me where to go [and] what to do. So, as a point guard, Derrick’s been great in leading our team.”

According to StatMuse, Holiday is “the first player with 10+ AST and 80+ FG% in a Conference Finals game since 1990.”

“They’re just really good basketball players,” Mazzulla continued. “Again, most of you guys always talk about — They come into a game, open-minded on how they can impact it in different ways. Sometimes it’s defense, sometimes it’s ball-handling, sometimes it’s screening, sometimes it’s scoring, sometimes it’s shot-making, they just have the ability to impact the game on both ends of the floor. Their versatility is important.”

Holiday getting huge praise from his teammates on the series

Holiday was especially exceptional in Game 1 against the Pacers where he scored 28 points to go along with eight assists and collecting seven rebounds on top of recording three steals. While people would think the weight of the offense goes on Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, Holiday displays how dangerous the Celtics are as a unit.

“Jrue was fantastic. Jrue was exceptional. Shout out to Jrue. Jrue came out and balled, man,” Brown said via CBS News. “He’s the reason why we won his game. I think he just was poised, he took advantage of his matchups. He just was so, so elite in that. It’s a lot. And he’s guarding Haliburton, picking him up, chasing him around. That was special from Jrue Holiday.”

On the season, Holiday has been averaging 12.5 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game while shooting 48 percent from the field. The UCLA product has been a part of every type of situation as he has been a part of the NBA for close to 15 seasons now which only brings an advantage for Boston.

Holiday excelling on the defensive side of the ball against Indiana

Besides the offensive side of the ball, he is also a stalwart on the defensive end where he was awarded on the second team as a part of the NBA All-Defensive honors. He has been the primary defender on Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton and his presence has been felt as has made the young point guard frustrated but also admitting himself that “he’s the best defender in the NBA” and “he has been for a long time.”

Holiday has been crucial in every aspect to the Celtics’ success this postseason as even in the last playoffs series against the Cleveland Cavaliers as he was maintaining the explosiveness of star Donovan Mitchell. Mazzulla would imply that Holiday is a “jack of all trades” type of player or a “swiss army knife” where he can do everything.

“He’s the kind of guy who can impact the game in different ways every night,” Mazzulla said. “Tonight it was his scoring, his play-making and his defense, it was a well-rounded game by him. I thought his poise and his demeanor throughout the game was tremendous for us.”

The goal for Holiday the rest of the postseason and health

While it remains to be seen of Holiday’s status, the goal for him on the court is to keep the same level of intensity as he is looking for his second championship, his first being with the Milwaukee Bucks in 2021. On top of that, the 33-year old mentioned after Game 1 against Indiana that he will keep “just being aggressive no matter what end on the floor it’s on.”

“I think just continually being aggressive, continually working on my game, continually having the coaches and my teammates in my ear telling me that they’re gonna need me,” Holiday said after a stellar Game 1 performance. “Even just knowing like, especially times during the game, just being aggressive no matter what end on the floor it’s on. I’m gonna continue to do that and see what happens.”

In any sense, the Celtics and their fans will hope that it is nothing serious for Holiday and that he can play Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Pacers. There is no doubt that it is possible some people within the basketball world believe the series is already over, but Indiana is currently undefeated on their home floor at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse this postseason. Despite Boston looking better on paper, the dynamic of the series could change any minute as Game 3 is Saturday night.

Zachary Weinberger is a credentialed Miami Heat reporter and an Associate Editor covering the NBA at-large, NCAA Football, and NCAA Basketball for ClutchPoints. He graduated from Florida Atlantic University in 2022, covering sports at the FAU University Press and later at The Palm Beach Post.

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