Jayson Tatum returning for Celtics in Game 3 vs. Magic
Jayson Tatum will be back in the Boston Celtics lineup Friday night when the team takes on the Orlando Magic in Game 3 of their first round playoff series. Tatum missed Boston's Game 2 win on Wednesday with a wrist injury and was originally listed as doubtful for Friday, but was cleared after going through a full warmup at the Kia Center in Orlando.
"He's feeling a little better, so we'll see how it goes," head coach Joe Mazzulla said during his pregame press conference.
Tatum was sidelined for a playoff game for the first time of his eight-year career Wednesday night, after he suffered a bone bruise in his right wrist late in Boston's Game 1 win on Sunday. The injury occurred when Tatum was fouled by Orlando's Kentavious Caldwell-Pope on a drive to the basket and fell on his wrist as he hit the floor. Caldwell-Pope was hit with a Flagrant 1 on the play.
Tatum had played in 114 straight playoff games for Boston, but watched Game 2 from the Boston bench with his right wrist taped up. Mazzulla had been calling his All-Star forward "day to day" with the injury, though he admitted Thursday the bone bruise was "severe."
But Tatum was upgraded to questionable about two hours before Friday's game and then got the green light from the Celtics to return after warmups. He'll be on the court when Boston looks to take a commanding 3-0 series lead over the Magic.
Boston guard Jaylen Brown, who was listed as questionable with a knee injury ahead of Game 3, is also good to go Friday night. He scored 36 points and pulled down 10 rebounds for the Celtics in Game 2.
But Boston will be down one of its starters Friday night.
Jrue Holiday out for Boston
The C's will be without their starting point guard Friday, as Jrue Holiday will miss the contest with a hamstring injury. The veteran guard didn't even go through pregame warmups for Boston.
After scoring nine points in Game 1, Holiday put up 11 points, six assists, and four rebounds over 36 minutes for Boston in Game 2. He played the entire fourth quarter as the Celtics won the game, 109-100.
With Holiday out, the Celtics will are going with a double-big lineup with Al Horford and Kristaps Porzingis starting alongside Tatum, Brown, and Derrick White.
