Jrue Holiday

Celtics Notes: DPE, Cost-Saving Moves, Tatum’s Recovery, Game 5, Porzingis

May 14th, 2025 at 5:11pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Celtics are unlikely to pursue a disabled player exception in the wake of Jayson Tatum‘s Achilles tear, writes Brian Robb of MassLive. The DPE provides an avenue to help teams replace players who suffer serious injuries, but it carries restrictions that will limit its usefulness for Boston.

Robb points out that teams aren’t permitted to use the exception until a physician designated by the NBA determines that the player is “substantially more likely than not” to be sidelined through June 15 of the qualifying season. Tatum’s injury occurred Monday during Game 4 against the Knicks and he underwent surgery on Tuesday, so it’s far too early to put a firm timetable on his recovery process.

Also, the DPE is limited to the amount of the mid-level exception, which is currently $14.1MM. Considering Tatum’s $54.1MM salary for next season, the Celtics couldn’t come close to replacing him with a similar player. Robb notes that the team is already facing a record tax payment for 2025/26, so the extra financial penalties associated with adding salary would make it prohibitive.

Robb believes Boston will definitely make moves this summer to drop below the $208MM second apron and may try to get beneath the projected $188MM tax line. He states that the front office might have to explore moving Jaylen Brown if the return is right, and he lists Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis and Sam Hauser as other trade candidates.

There’s more from Boston:

Tatum’s father expects the recovery time to be about eight to nine months, Marc J. Spears of Andscape said on ESPN’s NBA Today (Twitter video link). A nine-month absence would bring him back around the All-Star break, giving him plenty of time to ramp up for the playoffs. Spears adds that Tatum and his father cried on the phone together after the injury, but his father inspired him by pointing out that Kobe Bryant went through the same experience. Spears also reveals that Tatum’s surgeon performed similar procedures on Kevin Durant and Tiger Woods.
A league source tells Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe that Tatum and the Celtics made the decision to have surgery right away after doctors confirmed the severity of the injury Tuesday morning. Himmelsbach’s source adds that the medical outcomes with Achilles tears tend to be more favorable when they’re addressed quickly, and that complications are often associated with this type of operation, so Celtics officials were relieved when Tatum’s procedure went smoothly.
Despite the grief over losing Tatum, the Celtics still have a chance to salvage their second-round series with three straight wins over the Knicks, starting with tonight’s Game 5, Himmelsbach adds. He points out that the team went 8-2 without Tatum this season, but was only 2-2 against playoff teams. “We feel for [Tatum], of course,” Porzingis said. “But we have to move forward. He doesn’t want us to be sad and not playing our best basketball. So we’re going to go out there and leave it all out there and live with the results.”
Porzingis, who is dealing with side effects from a lingering virus, was able to play 24 minutes on Monday, the most since Game 3 of the opening-round series with Orlando, Himmelsbach notes. “Tonight was the first time I felt decent, honestly, just everything,” Porzingis said. “My energy, I was more, like, uplifted, and maybe didn’t have my best game, anyway, but my energy was good and I felt like I could go a bit more up and down, so that was a positive.”

Celtics Notes: Game 3 Win, Tatum, Porzingis, Pritchard, Mazzulla

May 10th, 2025 at 11:02pm CST by Arthur Hill

“You’ve got to tap into your darkness,” coach Joe Mazzulla said as the Celtics approached Saturday facing a 2-0 series deficit, and his team responded with probably its best game of the playoffs, writes Jared Weiss of The Athletic. Boston struck quickly, built a commanding early lead, and controlled the game throughout on its way to a 115-93 victory.

“If you plan on doing this for a long time, trust me, it’ll be a lot worse than the last 72 hours, and that’s the perspective you have to have,” Mazzulla said. “This is the fun part. I didn’t get into the journey for it to be easy. It’s been dark, but in a good way.”

The Celtics set a playoff record by missing 45 three-point attempts in the series opener and were shooting 25% as a team from beyond the arc in the first two games. That changed dramatically in Game 3 as they overwhelmed the Knicks from the outside, connecting on 20-of-40 three-point shots.

Jayson Tatum, who had been badly misfiring in the first two games, made five of his nine three-point attempts on Saturday and talked about the need to be a leader when times are tough.

“You just understand what comes with being that guy,” he said. “I get a lot of praise, I get a lot of credit, I get a lot of accolades, but I’m not perfect. And there’s times where I’ve needed to play better, I’ve needed to do more, and that’s what comes with being that guy.”

There’s more on the Celtics:

Kristaps Porzingis played 19 minutes off the bench, but he’s still experiencing side effects from a virus he contracted in late February, sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter video link). Charania states that Porzingis has been dealing with “energy zaps” and stamina “ebbs and flows” over the past two months. He began feeling better before the team’s first-round series, but went through a “crash” before Game 1 against New York.
Payton Pritchard was 5-of-10 from three-point range on Saturday while logging 35 minutes, the most playing time he’s seen in this year’s postseason, per Khari Thompson of The Boston Globe. Mazzulla explained that he gave Pritchard an expanded role because Jrue Holiday picked up early fouls. “Our sub patterns are always flexible,” Mazzulla said. “Tonight, Jrue had three fouls and Payton was good. At times, you go with what makes the most sense. Just the flexibility of what we were able to do, but he played really well on both ends of the floor for us. There was some foul trouble there, so we were able to go to some different stuff.”
Mazzulla’s job is likely safe regardless of the outcome of this series, Brian Robb of MassLive states in a mailbag column. However, he warns that the Celtics will likely have to sacrifice some depth this summer due to financial concerns, so it will be harder for Mazzulla to keep the team at an elite level in the future.

Karl-Anthony Towns Suffers Hand Injury In Game 3 Loss

May 10th, 2025 at 9:41pm CST by Arthur Hill

Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns appeared to say “I broke it” (Twitter video link) after getting hit on his left hand in Saturday’s game, writes Bridget Reilly of The New York Post.

Towns declined to elaborate on the injury when talking to reporters after the game. Reilly notes that he was able to remain on the court, although he shot just 5-of-18 in a 22-point loss to Boston.

“It is what it is. I just want to do whatever I can to be out there,” Towns responded when asked if he has a broken finger. “It is what it is. I’m gonna keep finding ways to play, so I ain’t tripping.”

Reilly adds that the reaction captured on the ABC broadcast came after Towns battled Luke Kornet for a rebound late in the second quarter. He was also seen wincing in the third quarter following a foul by Jrue Holiday. Towns posted 21 points and 15 rebounds, but he went just 1-of-5 from three-point range and is shooting 14.3% from beyond the arc in the series.

Towns refused to reveal whether he underwent an X-ray or any other tests after the game, saying he would “let [the Knicks] tell you that.”

Coach Tom Thibodeau was also guarded about releasing information on Towns’ condition, according to Brian Robb of MassLive.

“It’s the playoffs,” Thibodeau said. “People are going to get hit and you have to play through things. That’s why you do it the entire season. No one is 100 percent. You have to understand that you can play well when you’re feeling less than your best, that’s all part of it. I think the mental toughness part of this in the playoffs is huge.”

Towns will have one day off to rest the hand before the series resumes Monday night.

Celtics Notes: Game 2 Loss, Porzingis, Horford, Tatum, Holiday

May 8th, 2025 at 11:00am CST by Luke Adams

After going 4-0 against the Knicks during the regular season with an average margin of victory of 16.3 points per contest, the Celtics built 20-point leads in each of the first two games of their second-round playoff series vs. New York before improbably losing both of them.

“Two games we’re up 20 points somehow end up not with wins is inexcusable,” Celtics wing Jaylen Brown said after Wednesday’s Game 2 loss, per Brian Windhorst of ESPN. “Obviously being down two, it sucks.”

No NBA team had a better regular season record in “clutch” games than Boston’s 24-11 (.686) mark. However, the fourth quarter has been a disaster for the Celtics through two games of the conference semifinals. As Windhorst details, the team missed 14 of its final 15 field goal attempts and was outscored by a 23-6 margin in the final 8:30 on Wednesday. Boston has also made just 4-of-26 (15.4%) three-pointers in fourth quarters through two games.

The Celtics still had a chance to win both games, but didn’t do quite enough, losing in overtime by three points on Monday and by a single point on Wednesday.

“I don’t have the answer honestly, I don’t have the answer,” Celtics big man Kristaps Porzingis said. “Just a little bit of execution here and there. There’s a couple missed shots here and there. A couple things go their way and it just adds up and it’s this result.”

Here’s more on the reeling Celtics as they prepare for the series to head to New York:

Porzingis continues to be plagued by the illness that cost him eight consecutive games in February and March and five additional games during the last few weeks of the regular season. He played just 14 minutes on Wednesday and wasn’t part of the Celtics’ starting or closing lineups. “I don’t know how to call it, but I’m just not feeling my best, not feeling my best at all,” he said after the game, according to Windhorst. “It just kills me inside that it’s happening in this moment. But who cares? Nobody feels sorry for us, sorry for me and we have to keep going.”
As Matt Ehalt of The New York Post writes, the Celtics had to overextend Al Horford in Porzingis’ absence — the veteran big man played the entire fourth quarter on Wednesday and had trouble handling Karl-Anthony Towns in the post over the course of the night, notes Brian Robb of MassLive. Horford was just 2-of-11 from the floor and the Celtics were a -11 when he was on the court.
Celtics All-NBA forward Jayson Tatum has struggled mightily with his shot through two games, making only 12-of-41 field goals (29.3%) and 5-of-20 three-pointers (25.0%) while committing eight turnovers, including one on the final possession of Game 2. According to Windhorst, Tatum didn’t speak to the media after Wednesday’s loss because the arena had to be evacuated due to a fire alarm.
Ahead of Game 2, Celtics guard Jrue Holiday earned another end-of-season honor, receiving the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Trophy as the NBA’s Social Justice Champion for 2024/25. The award recognizes a player who advances Abdul-Jabbar’s mission “to engage, empower and drive equality for individuals and groups who have been historically disadvantaged.” Holiday, who also won the NBA’s Sportsmanship award last week, beat out four other finalists for the Social Justice award, as detailed in a press release from the league.

Celtics’ Jrue Holiday Removed From Injury Report

May 4th, 2025 at 5:42pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Jrue Holiday is off the injury report for Game 1 of the Celtics’ second-round series against the Knicks, as Brian Robb of MassLive.com writes.

The Celtics issued a clean injury report on Sunday, signaling they’ll be at full strength when they take the court for Monday’s home contest.

Holiday missed the final three games of Boston’s first-round series against Orlando due to a strained hamstring.

Holiday will likely be matched up defensively against the Knicks’ top offensive threat, Jalen Brunson. Brunson averaged 26.3 points and 5.8 assists against the Celtics this season but Boston swept the four-game season series.

Holiday, who won the NBA’s annual Sportsmanship Award, averaged 11.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.1 steals during the regular season while starting 62 games. The scoring average was his lowest since his rookie season, but he’s a steadying force.

Holiday was instrumental in Boston’s title run last season, averaging 13.2 points, 6.1 rebounds and 4.4 assists while committing just 1.5 turnovers per contest and earning second-team All-Defensive honors.

Celtics Notes: Holiday, Brown, Porzingis, Offseason

May 4th, 2025 at 10:58am CST by Arthur Hill

The Celtics are getting healthier as they prepare for the start of their second-round series against the Knicks, writes Matt Vautour of MassLive. After Saturday’s practice, coach Joe Mazzulla offered an encouraging update on Jrue Holiday, who missed the final three games of the Orlando series with a strained right hamstring.

“He was able to work on everything he wanted to work on,” Mazzulla said. “He’s getting better every day.”

Holiday’s return will be especially important in the matchup with New York, as he’s likely to be the primary defender against Jalen Brunson.

Jaylen Brown told reporters that he’s feeling better despite dealing with a posterior impingement in his right knee that has been bothering him for several weeks. The condition hasn’t gone away, but Brown is learning how to play through it.

“I’m just trying to trend back in the direction of being 100 percent,” Brown said. “Physically holding my ground and still making plays for our team. Even with guys being out — Jrue, (Jayson Tatum) missed a game — being able to step in and fill a role. I feel I’m decent. Now, moving forward, it’s a whole different ballgame, different team, different challenges. My focus is fixed on that. Structurally, everything is fine. There’s some other stuff going on, but I’m trending in the right direction.”

There’s more from Boston:

The Celtics are looking forward to getting back to their normal style of play after being frustrated by Orlando in the first round, Jay King of The Athletic states in a discussion of the upcoming series with Fred Katz and James L. Edwards III. That means returning to their normal rate of three-point attempts, which the Magic were able to limit much better than the Knicks did in their four regular season matchups with Boston.
There are reasons to be concerned about Kristaps Porzingis heading into the second-round series, Brian Robb of MassLive states in a mailbag column. Robb points out that Porzingis has never played more than seven games in any postseason, and he wasn’t effective in rebounding against Orlando or in stopping dribble penetration by Franz Wagner. Those challenges will be magnified against New York, which has Karl-Anthony Towns and Mitchell Robinson on the boards and Brunson attacking the basket.
Robb expects money-saving roster changes this summer, noting that the Celtics had “a unique two-year window” to compete for a title with the current group. He sees Porzingis and Holiday as obvious trade candidates and adds that there could be “surprises” depending on how far the Celtics advance in the playoffs.

Celtics’ Jrue Holiday Wins 2024/25 Sportsmanship Award

May 1st, 2025 at 11:41am CST by Rory Maher

Celtics guard Jrue Holiday has won the NBA’s Sportsmanship Award for the 2024/25 season, the league announced today in a press release (Twitter links). It’s the second time the 34-year-old has claimed the award, having previously won it with Milwaukee back in ’20/21.

The Sportsmanship Award has been presented annually since ’95/96 and “honors a player who best represents the ideals of sportsmanship on the court.”

Each of the league’s 30 teams nominated one of its players for the award, then a panel of league executives narrows that group to six finalists (one from each division) and current players voted for the winner.

As the full voting results show, Holiday received the most first-place votes and most total points. Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen finished in second place, followed closely by Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving. Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Lakers forward Dorian Finney-Smith, and Magic forward Franz Wagner rounded out the top six (in that order).

The trophy for the Sportsmanship Award is named after Joe Dumars, the Hall-of-Fame guard who won the inaugural award back in ’95/96. Dumars was recently named the Pelicans’ head of basketball operations after working for the NBA for the past few years.

Holiday has earned numerous team and individual accolades throughout his career. The combo guard has won two NBA championships, two Olympic gold medals with Team USA, is a two-time All-Star, and has earned six All-Defensive nods. He has also been named Teammate of the Year three times. Now he has added a second Sportsmanship Award to his impressive trophy case.

Jrue Holiday To Remain Out For Game 5

April 28th, 2025 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Veteran guard Jrue Holiday, who has missed the past two games of the Celtics‘ series vs. Orlando due to a right hamstring strain, will remain sidelined for Game 5 on Tuesday, the team announced today (Twitter link).

The Celtics lost Game 3 in Orlando without Holiday available on Friday, but bounced back with a 107-98 victory on Sunday to take a 3-1 lead in the series.

Al Horford has taken Holiday’s spot in the starting lineup, with Sam Hauser playing an increased role off the bench and Boston leaning heavily on its stars. Jayson Tatum and Derrick White each played at least 39 minutes in Games 3 and 4, with Jaylen Brown logging 41 minutes in Sunday’s win.

Speaking of Brown, he’s listed as questionable for Game 5 due to a posterior impingement in his right knee, per the Celtics. However, the reigning NBA Finals MVP had that same questionable designation prior to Games 3 and 4 and ultimately saw a full workload in both contests, so it would be a bit of a surprise if he joins Holiday on the inactive list.

If the Celtics can wrap up their first-round series with a win over the Magic on Tuesday, the team will have a lengthier layoff before beginning its second-round series, which would give Holiday some additional recovery time.

Knicks Notes: Hart, Towns, Bridges, Payne, Thibodeau

April 28th, 2025 at 10:01am CST by Arthur Hill

Josh Hart has maximized his value to the Knicks by putting aside any personal dreams of stardom, writes James L. Edwards III of The Athletic. Throughout his career, which included stops with four teams in six years before he found a home in New York, Hart always believed he could be more than just a scrappy player who tends to make the right play at the right time.

He told Edwards that he adopted a new mindset this season and is now focused on finding ways to make his high-profile teammates better. That led to setting a franchise record with nine triple-doubles during the season and averaging career highs of 9.6 rebounds and 5.9 assists along with 13.6 points per game.

“I think it’s realizing … for me, I feel like I’ve grown in my faith more,” Hart said. “I’ve been trying to take on that servant mentality. I want to make sure I can cater to these guys and make sure that they’re successful and put in the right positions to blossom.”

Edwards states that Hart often points to Celtics guard Jrue Holiday as an example of sacrificing individual glory for the greater good. Holiday was a two-time All-Star who accepted a reduced role in Boston’s offense to help produce a championship, and he’s in a unique position to understand Hart’s value to the Knicks.

“Even though people might say, like, he doesn’t shoot the ball well enough or do whatever, he makes plays, and he makes the game easier for everybody else based off his play,” Holiday said. “And it’s not just his effort. He’s really smart. He gets to the basket. He offensive rebounds. Things that guys don’t really want to do, he’s excellent at it. Guys who really take that to heart and can really play that type of game, I feel like you can be in the league as long as you want to if you play that way.”

There’s more on the Knicks:

Karl-Anthony Towns scored eight of the team’s final 10 points in Sunday’s win at Detroit, and one of the clutch shots was a fadeaway he developed while working with Kyrie Irving last summer, according to Stefan Bondy of The New York Post. Towns said Irving taught him the finer points of the shot, including where to hold the ball and how to launch it above the defender “It’s something that I never really had,” Towns said. “And it didn’t look as good. And I was able to iron my game out watching a great like him. One of the most talented players the NBA has ever seen and just did it as best I could to add my little flavor to it. It may not look as good as his — I ain’t going to lie, I think it’s pretty damn ugly — but it’s effective when I need it to be.”
Mikal Bridges hit two late three-pointers Sunday after shooting just 1-of-10 from the field in the first three quarters, per Jared Schwartz of The New York Post. Bridges said he drew inspiration from his teammates, particularly Cameron Payne, who has seen limited playing time since scoring 14 points in the series opener. “I think the biggest is Cam Payne,” Bridges said. “He’s big on voicing, helping me out. Sometimes, him calling me some not good names helps as well. It just feeds off that.”
Coach Tom Thibodeau deserves more credit for the adjustments he has made throughout the series, including getting more shots for Towns after he was shut down in Game 2, contends Ian Begley of SNY. Begley notes that Thibodeau’s job might have been in jeopardy with a first-round loss, but he has responded with a high-level coaching performance.

Celtics Rule Out Jrue Holiday For Game 4

April 26th, 2025 at 5:47pm CST by Arthur Hill

Jrue Holiday will miss his second straight game with a strained right hamstring when the Celtics face the Magic on Sunday, according to Brian Robb of MassLive.

Robb notes that Holiday had been listed as questionable going into Friday night’s contest and was ultimately ruled out shortly before tip-off. The injury was detected after Game 2, in which Holiday put up 11 points, four rebounds and six assists in 36 minutes.

During a session with reporters on Saturday, coach Joe Mazzulla indicated that Holiday is making progress.

“He’s doing well,” Mazzulla said. “He’s day-to-day. Just taking it one day at a time. Kind of seeing how he comes out of it.”

Boston’s hopes of sweeping the first-round series ended with a 95-93 loss at Orlando in Game 3. It was an intense, defensive-oriented matchup that was perfectly suited for Holiday’s style of play, observes Khari Thompson of The Boston Globe.

“Obviously you can’t replace what Jrue Holiday brings on both sides of the ball,” Derrick White said. “Everybody kind of has a little bit different role and responsibility on both sides. Jrue is a special player and obviously we’re a better team with him, but everybody just has to take a step up when he’s not out there.

After being acquired in October of 2023, Holiday played a huge role in helping the Celtics capture a championship last season after years of close calls. He provides elite-level defense in the backcourt, another reliable three-point shooter and veteran experience that includes his role on Milwaukee’s 2021 title team.

He was rewarded with a four-year, $135MM extension last April.

The Celtics are listing Jaylen Brown as questionable for the second straight game with a right knee posterior impingement that has bothered him for several weeks, Robb adds. Brown played 34 minutes on Friday, finishing with 19 points and six rebounds, and talked ab0ut the overly physical nature of the series after the loss.

Robb notes that Jayson Tatum is no longer on the team’s injury report. He missed Game 2 and was listed as questionable for Game 3 after suffering a bone bruise on his right wrist in the series opener.

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