The Boston Celtics will have the chance to take a 3-0 first-round series lead when they visit the Orlando Magic for Game 3 on Friday night. It's been a one-sided series so far, leaving it up to Joe Mazzulla's team to prove that they can take one step closer to winning their second consecutive NBA Championship.
One thing that could be an obstacle for the Celtics on Friday night is their injury situation. Injuries are a part of the NBA experience, especially when the postseason arrives, and Boston learned that the hard way when Jayson Tatum missed Game 2 with a wrist injury he suffered in the series opener.
Celtics News: Jrue Holiday and Jaylen Brown Questionable, Jayson Tatum Doubtful for Game 3
The Celtics released their latest injury report just hours before Friday's tip-off, and it's safe to say that it isn't the news fans wanted to hear.
According to the Celtics' official social media accounts, Jaylen Brown (knee) and Jrue Holiday (hamstring) are both questionable to play in Game 3. Making matters worse, Tatum (wrist) is still doubtful to face the Magic on Friday evening.
Injury Report update:
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) April 25, 2025
Jaylen Brown (right knee posterior impingement) - QUESTIONABLE
Jrue Holiday (right hamstring strain) - QUESTIONABLE
Jayson Tatum (right distal radius bone bruise) - DOUBTFUL https://t.co/2f67zRTVUk
While Brown was a late addition to the injury report, his knee issue isn't anything new.
The ailment has been lingering for well over a month now, and it's yet to force him to miss a game this series. That's been quite the relief as the former NBA Finals MVP has been the Celtics' best player so far, averaging 26.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.5 steals, and .545/.556/.917 splits through two games.
As for Holiday, he's been listed with a hamstring injury since Thursday afternoon. He played at least 33 minutes in Games 1 and 2, so he'll likely be in for a similar workload barring any setbacks. He's averaging 11.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.9 assists while shooting 44.3% from the field and 35.3% from deep.
Unsurprisingly, Tatum is the injured player who fans are most concerned about the most.
He's been day-to-day with his wrist injury ever since he was hard fouled by Orlando Magic agitator Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in Game 1. It seemed like Tatum was turning the corner when he was spotted carrying luggage with his bad hand on Thursday, however, it appears his wrist might not be at full strength yet.
Tatum only scored 19 points with a 36.4 FG% and 12.5 3P% after getting hurt in the opener, so it might be wise for Boston to rest him until he's 100% healthy.
Although Boston's lineup is quite banged up at the moment, it isn't all bad. Despite the lengthening injury list, the Celtics are still the 3.5-point road favorites over the Magic in Game 3 on FanDuel Sportsbook.
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Odds update periodically and are subject to change.