The Boston Celtics will look to get back to winning ways on Friday as they prepare to take on the Cleveland Cavaliers, the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference.
A win in this match could move the Celtics closer to securing the No. 1 seed in the East with plenty of games left in the season. Currently, the Celtics are 6.5 games back from the first seed.
The Celtics have a lot of ground to cover, and a win on Friday could do wonders. Boston has won two of the first three games against Cleveland and will look to win the season series outright 3-1.
This game could go a long way, but the Celtics could be without their top guard, Jrue Holiday, for this matchup again.
Ahead of the game, the Celtics are listing Holiday as questionable due to a finger issue.
Injury Report for tomorrow vs. Cleveland:
Jaylen Brown (left thigh contusion) – QUESTIONABLE
Jrue Holiday (right hand mallet finger) – QUESTIONABLE
Luke Kornet (personal reasons) – QUESTIONABLE— Boston Celtics (@celtics) February 27, 2025
Holiday’s availability has been sporadic lately, and he’s now nursing a right finger issue.
The veteran guard’s status for Friday’s showdown should be updated closer to tipoff. With Jaylen Brown also questionable to play with a thigh injury, the Celtics may need both Al Horford and Sam Hauser to make spot starts against Cleveland.
Holiday played for Wednesday’s match against the Pistons after he missed the first leg of a back-to-back on Tuesday against the Raptors.
In Wednesday’s game, which turned out to be a loss for Boston, Holiday was less than impressive, recording only four points on 2-for-10 shooting from the field, six assists, and two rebounds in 31 minutes of action, and was a -11 in that department.
In the season, Holiday is averaging 10.8 points per game, 4.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.0 steals while shooting 43.8 percent from the field and 34.2 percent from three in 47 games and 30.1 minutes of action.
The Celtics will look for their 43rd win of the season and their 19th in front of their home crowd.
The Celtics are 31-10 against Eastern Conference opponents. Boston ranks last in the NBA, scoring 41.5 points per game in the paint.
The Cavaliers are 32-7 against Eastern Conference opponents. Cleveland has a 3-3 record in games decided by 3 points or fewer.
Both teams have been among the best this season, and this should be a preview of the Eastern Conference finals if things pan out for both sides.
