After being embarrassed by the Detroit Pistons earlier this week, the Boston Celtics will look to get back on track when they face the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday. The upcoming Eastern Conference showdown is a pivotal one, as it marks the fourth and final Celtics-Cavaliers clash of the 2024-25 regular season.
Boston emerged victorious in two of the three previous matchups, most recently notching a 112-105 win at Rocket Arena on Feb. 4.
Another convincing victory over the Cavaliers — the NBA's top team — would send a strong message to the rest of the league before the playoffs. Having said that, the Celtics will need all hands on deck to defeat the Cavs, which could be easier said than done given the former's injury situation.
Celtics Injury News: 4 Key Players Dealing with Injuries on Friday
On Friday afternoon, Celtics play-by-play announcer Sean Grande shared unfortunate injury updates regarding a quartet of players. According to Grande, the following four Boston players are dealing with injuries that will affect their status vs. the Cavaliers:
- Jrue Holiday (Finger) — Out
- Jaylen Brown (Thigh) — Questionable
- Luke Kornet (Personal) — Questionable
- Kristaps Porzingis (Illness) — Questionable
Not an ideal 1:30pm injury update for the Celtics against the Cavs tonight, Jrue Holiday is out.
— Sean Grande (@SeanGrandePBP) February 28, 2025
Jrue Holiday - Right Hand Mallet Finger - OUT
Jaylen Brown - Left Thigh Contusion - QUESTIONABLE
Luke Kornet - Personal - QUESTIONABLE
Kristaps Porzingis - Illness - QUESTIONABLE
As it stands, Holiday is the only member of the quartet who's been ruled out.
Friday's absence will mark the 34-year-old guard's sixth missed game in the last nine outings after previously dealing with a shoulder injury. Holiday's recent injury trouble is par for the course amid a disappointing 2024-25 performance that's seen him average only 10.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.7 assists while shooting 43.8% from the floor and 34.2% from deep.
It'll be interesting to see if Brown will suit up after missing Tuesday's loss to the Pistons with his thigh injury. Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla has since talked about "doing what's best" for his All-Star wing, meaning Brown could sit again if the team believes it's in his best interest.
Meanwhile, it remains to be seen how long Porzingis will be plagued by his illness. The 7-foot-2 Latvian missed Saturday's win against the Toronto Raptors with an illness but managed to play against the Pistons, meaning his situation has likely worsened in recent days.
Although not necessarily ideal, some extra rest could benefit Porzingis. The veteran big man is in the midst of a slump, having averaged just 17.7 points, 5.8 rebounds, and .449/.353/.692 shooting splits in his last nine games.
As for Kornet, he's in danger of missing his third straight game due to personal reasons. The former Vanderbilt Commodore hasn't played since Feb. 23 and is averaging 5.2 points and 5.0 rebounds in a bench role with the Celtics.
Boston fans will have a better idea of what Friday's lineup will look like closer to the 7:40 p.m. ET tip-off. In the meantime, the Celtics' injury situation doesn't seem to be hurting them too much, considering that they're currently 1.5-point favorites over the Cavaliers on FanDuel Sportsbook.
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