Jrue Holiday ruled out for Celtics-Cavaliers with "mallet finger" injury
The Boston Celtics will be without starting point guard Jrue Holiday for Friday night's matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers at TD Garden. Holiday has been ruled out with a "mallet finger" injury on his shooting hand, after he was initially listed as questionable for the the tilt on Thursday's injury report.
And Holiday may not be the only starter the Celtics are without when they host the Eastern Conference's top team. Kristaps Porzingis was added to the injury report on Friday with an illness, while Jaylen Brown remains questionable with a left thigh contusion. Center Luke Kornet is also questionable for Boston due to personal reasons.
Brown and Kornet at least took part in Friday's morning shootaround, after both players missed Wednesday night's loss to the Pistons in Detroit.
What is "Mallet Finger"?
Mallett finger is a common sports injury to the tip of the finger, which "causes it to droop downward, making your finger look like a mallet," according to the Cleveland Clinic. It usually happens to baseball players and is often referred to as "baseball finger."
But Holiday is dealing with it now, and while it may be something he could eventually play through, it doesn't sound too pleasant.
"It happens when you injure the extensor tendon that extends the tip of your finger (terminal extensor). If this tendon gets torn, cut or displaced, it won't be able to pull your finger joint straight," according to the Cleveland Clinic. "It can happen when something hard hits your extended fingertip, like a flying ball that you're trying to catch. You may also get it by accidentally striking your fingertip or getting it caught in a door."
The injury usually requires the finger to be in a splint for six-to-eight weeks and may require surgery. It's unclear if Holiday will miss extended time with the ailment, but players have played through the injury in the past. Oklahoma City's Lou Dort played through mallet finger earlier this season.
Holiday was an integral part of Boston's title run last summer, though he's had a bit of a down year during the 2024-25 regular season. The 34-year-old has averaged 10.8 points while shooting just 34.2 percent from three-point range to go along with 4.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists over his 47 games.
But his injury comes at an important time of the season for Boston, with the Celtics starting a seven-game homestand on Friday night that also includes visits from the Denver Nuggets and Oklahoma City Thunder.
Celtics vs. Cavaliers
Given Holiday's injury and the other question marks on Boston's injury report, we'll have to wait and see who slots into the team's starting five Friday night against the Cavaliers. Cleveland will be at full strength for the clash after point guard Darius Garland was upgraded to available for the tilt.
The Cavaliers have won eight straight entering Friday night and own a 6.5-game lead over Boston for the No. 1 seed in the East, though the Celtics have won two of their three meetings on the season.
