ORLANDO, FL – The Celtics will be without a starter for Game 3 against the Orlando Magic, but it’s not the one most expected earlier in the day.
Jayson Tatum (wrist) will make his return after missing Game 2, and Jaylen Brown (knee) will be active after being listed as questionable. Jrue Holiday (hamstring) is out.
Holiday did not warm up pregame. He played 36 minutes in Game 2, finishing with 11 points, six assists, four rebounds, and a block. He played the entire fourth quarter. Head coach Joe Mazzulla did not provide much of an update pregame.
Tatum was upgraded from doubtful to questionable roughly two hours before tip-off. After going through his pregame warmups, he was deemed available. Tatum has only missed consecutive games four times in his career.
“[Tatum] creates so much offense for them. That constant threat of being able to give you 20 plus a night, and then you have to put, sometimes, two bodies on him,” Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley said on Tatum. “The switching is different with him on the floor. He just creates so much weight when he has that basketball, so our ability to stay focused on him allows those others to get going.”
Brown was added to the injury report earlier in the day but will play after going through his pregame routine. Brown became just the fifth player in Celtics playoff history to post at least 35 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists in a postseason game in Game 2, joining Larry Bird (9x). He is the first to hit those marks while shooting at least 62% from the field.
With Holiday out, the Celtics will start Derrick White, Brown, Tatum, Al Horford, and Kristaps Porzingis. Boston will look to take a 3-0 series lead on Friday night.
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