Is Jrue Holiday playing tonight against Indiana Pacers? Latest on Celtics guard's Game 4 status (May 27)
The Boston Celtics and Jrue Holiday have a chance to wrap up the Eastern Conference finals when they take on the Indiana Pacers in Game 4 at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse later today. Despite his illness, Holiday is listed as available and will start for the Celtics.
The Celtics almost lost Game 3, as the Pacers were up by as many as 18 points in the second half. The Celtics staged a late comeback to win the game.
Indiana suffered a major setback with Tyrese Haliburton's hamstring injury in Game 2. However, the Celtics also have their own injury concerns, with Kristaps Porzingis expected to miss Game 4.
However, while Jrue Holiday was also rumored to join him on the injury list due to an unspecified illness, he ended up starting and returning almost with a double-double, with 14 points and nine rebounds. An important cog of the Celtics’ defense, Holiday is expected to suit up and play in Game 4.
Jrue Holiday and Boston Celtics will aim to wrap up series in Game 4
The Celtics have been in a rampant mood in the conference finals thus far. However, they were vulnerable in Game 3. The Indiana Pacers went ahead by as many as 18 points twice, first in the second quarter and then in the third. Both times, Boston responded by forcing a flurry of turnovers and some quick threes.
Jrue Holiday, who was ill and missed the pre-game shootout, played his part on both ends of the court. He scored the free throws that got his team ahead in the third quarter and then converted two more with 1.1 seconds on the clock to seal a 114-111 victory for his team.
Holiday might not be the most fluent of scorers but his contributions on the other end have been very evident. The player has quickly become an integral part of the team and continued to hustle the Pacers all game.
The Celtics will be expecting something similar in Game 4.
What happened to Jrue Holiday?
As revealed, the 33-year-old, who has already won an NBA title with the Milwaukee Bucks, suffered from an illness before Game 3. This led the Celtics to put him on the questionable list for the game. However, Holiday did end up playing and looked good during the 38 minutes he was on the court.
The Celtics avoided a major scare and continued the win streak in Game 3, despite the series shifting to Indiana. They now have a chance to wrap up the series and make their first NBA Finals since 2022, when they lost to the Golden State Warriors.