ORLANDO — Prior to their Game 3 matchup against the Orlando Magic, the Boston Celtics provided a massive update for the three stars listed on their injury report: Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Jrue Holiday. Tatum, who was upgraded from doubtful to questionable less than two hours before tip-off, will be AVAILABLE to play in Game 3, returning after just one missed game. He's dealing with a severe bone bruise in his right wrist after the hard fall he took in Game 1.
Brown has also been upgraded from questionable to AVAILABLE for Game 3 and will miss his first playoff game of the year. Meanwhile, Holiday is also OUT for the game. For the second straight game, the Celtics will be short-handed against a very physical, defensive-minded Magic squad, this time, on the road.
Only Jalen Suggs and Mo Wagner are out for the Magic.
Celtics injury report update for Game 3 vs. Magic: Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Jrue Holiday
The afternoon before the game, Brown was added to the Celtics' injury report due to the same knee issue that has been plaguing him for a couple of months. He received injections in the knee prior to the start of the postseason to help ease the issue.
He had a monster Game 2, helping the Tatum-less Celtics earn a victory and take a 2-0 lead in the series. Brown had 36 points, leading all scorers.
Holiday was added to the injury report on Thursday night due to a right hamstring strain. He played a huge role in the Celtics' Game 2 victory, acting as one of the team's primary playmakers.
The Celtics have played with short-handed lineups for most of the season, as they've dealt with a multitude of injuries throughout the year. At shootaround in Orlando on Friday morning, Al Horford spoke about how that experience playing without multiple of their regular guys has helped them.
"Yeah, I think, to your point, it's been helpful throughout the season," Horford said. "You always want to have a full healthy team, but we've had to deal with this kind of all season, and because of that, some of our other guys have gotten opportunities. And it's no different. Our guys stay ready, we're preparing for it, and whether it's Sam Hauser coming off the bench and having an impact, Luke, Baylor, whoever it is, we just have to stay ready at any moment.
"That's what we did all season, and we'll see what happens tonight. If that's what needs to be done, I know our guys will be ready, and if not, we'll get rolling like we normally do."
The rest of the squad will have to step up if Boston wants to take a 3-0 lead on Friday night.