Boston Celtics guard Jrue Holiday is available for Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Indiana Pacers. Prior to the announcement, he was listed as questionable due to a non-Covid illness. Unfortunately for Boston, Kristaps Porzingis remains on the injury report as he recovers from a right calf strain, and backup big man Luke Kornet is also out with a left wrist sprain.
The Celtics have gotten used to playing without Porzingis this postseason. Had Holiday needed to miss a game, his absence would have been far harder to endure. He has been essential for Boston all season, but especially in this series against Indiana. He has scored 43 points in the first two games, effectively using his size to bully Indiana’s smaller defenders for easy points near the rim.
More importantly, he has been the primary defender on Tyrese Haliburton, Indiana’s offensive engine, and has held him to just 2-of-6 shooting when matched up against one another.
Haliburton is also dealing with an injury going into Game 3, and he is unlikely to suit up, per reports. That same hamstring cost Haliburton time during the regular season, and his numbers declined when he was playing through the injury in January and February.
