Jrue Holiday will be back in the lineup for Team USA on Tuesday. Holiday missed the United States’ final game of group play on Saturday with an ankle injury, but coach Steve Kerr said after the 104-83 victory against Puerto Rico that he’ll be available in the quarterfinals against Brazil, per ESPN’s Brian Windhorst.
“He would’ve played had this been a medal-round game,” Kerr said. “But it made sense to give him the night, give him an extra couple of days to heal.”
Holiday turned his ankle during the United States’ 103-86 win against South Sudan on Wednesday. He continued playing after some initial discomfort, and Kerr said at the time that Holiday would start against Puerto Rico. His status was questionable heading into that game, though, and Jayson Tatum, his Boston Celtics teammate, wound up starting in his place.
Team USA went 3-0 in the group stage at Pierre Mauroy Stadium in Lille, with a plus-64 point differential, earning them the top seed in the knockout stage, which will be played at Accor Arena in Paris. They’ll play Brazil at 3:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday, and if they win will advance to the semifinals and play the winner of Serbia vs. Australia on Thursday. Germany, Canada, France and Greece are on the other side of the bracket.
“We got done what we wanted to accomplish: winning all three games and securing the top seed,” Kerr said, via the Washington Post’s Ben Golliver. “We know we have to play better. Part of this tournament is that it gets harder as you go.”
“There’s a lot of great teams right now,” LeBron James added. “Obviously, Canada and Germany. I like the battle that Greece has had. … I wasn’t very impressed with [France’s] last game. I didn’t think they were ready for the physicality of Germany, but other than that they’ve been playing some good ball.”
Holiday started and played 24 minutes in the United States’ opener against Serbia a week ago, finishing with 15 points on 6-for-8 shooting, six rebounds, four assists, two steals and a block. Since Team USA’s tune-up games, he has been an ideal fit next to Stephen Curry in the backcourt, pressuring opposing guards and filling in the gaps for one of the most star-studded teams in the history of the sport. Kerr hasn’t yet revealed who will start against Brazil, but if Holiday is 100%, expect him to be back in that spot.
