The Boston Celtics are firmly entrenched as the second seed in the Eastern Conference. They don’t really have a chance to catch Cleveland, especially after blowing a 25-3 lead against the Cavaliers.
In that game, neither Jrue Holiday nor Kristaps Porzingis were able to play. Had those guys been able to play in that game, perhaps they wouldn’t have blown the large lead.
Missing games has been the norm for Porzingis since being traded to the Celtics. He has played in just 89 regular season games in the last year and a half. He missed most of the playoffs last year, as well.
The Celtics have learned to play without Porizingis. This season, they’ve had to learn how to play without Holiday as well.
He has missed more games this season with various ailments. Most recently, he’s been out with a finger injury, while Porzingis has been out with an illness.
Recently, head coach Joe Mazzulla gave an update on both of the starters and what their status will be.
Joe Mazzulla tells @BrianTRobb that Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis both went through practice today. Jrue went through his regular shooting pic.twitter.com/O1qCDSTqbh
— Noa Dalzell 🏀 (@NoaDalzell) March 4, 2025
Mazzulla mentioned that both players went through shootaround as well as practice. It sounds like both players are trending towards playing in their next game.
The Celtics have had to figure out a way to be an effective team without Porzingis manning the center spot for most of this season. That’s something that they hope to no longer need when the playoffs start.
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Getting Holiday back is more important for the Celtics right now. They need him for his perimeter defense and how he connects the team on offense.
Holiday has only played in three of the team’s last ten games. Having him back is something that the Celtics are looking forward to.
Boston will take on the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday evening. They have been playing some solid basketball lately, winning five of their last six games.
So far this season, Jrue Holiday is averaging 10.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game. Porzingis is averaging 18.9 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game.
