The Celtics’ streak of poor injury luck continued Wednesday night.
Jrue Holiday (mallet finger), Kristaps Porzingis (illness) and Jayson Tatum (right shoulder impingement) all were ruled out for Boston’s matchup with the Portland Trail Blazers at TD Garden, leaving Joe Mazzulla’s squad without three-fifths of its starting lineup.
Holiday and Porzingis had been listed as doubtful after sitting out the previous two games. Mazzulla said both were able to participate in Tuesday’s practice, but neither was cleared to play against Portland.
Tatum was listed as questionable, as was Celtics co-star Jaylen Brown (illness). Brown, Derrick White (probable; low back contusion) and Payton Pritchard (probable; left hip flexor tightness) were upgraded to available before tipoff.
Boston’s starting five against the visiting Blazers featured White, Brown, Sam Hauser, Al Horford and Luke Kornet, with Pritchard occupying his usual role as one of the Celtics’ top bench options.
It was the first DNP since Dec. 23 for Tatum, who has been one of the NBA’s most durable players this season. The six-time All-Star has appeared in all but four of the Celtics’ 62 games, ranking third on the team in appearances behind Pritchard (61, including Wednesday’s) and White (59).
Tatum entered Wednesday ranked fifth in the NBA in total minutes played — trailing only New York’s Mikal Bridges, Josh Hart and Jalen Brunson and Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards — and first among Celtics players in points, rebounds and assists per game.
Holiday’s availability has been more sporadic. The 34-year-old guard has missed 15 games, including eight of the last 11 with knee and finger ailments. He’s worn a splint on his right pinky since suffering his mallet finger injury during a loss to Detroit last Wednesday.
“(It’s) obviously a little frustrating,” Holiday said Sunday. “Would love to be as healthy as possible, but things happen.”
Porzingis’ lingering illness has sidelined him for four of the Celtics’ last five games. The starting center missed extended time with lower leg issues early in the season but has remained mostly injury-free since the start of January.
Boston is likely to be shorthanded Thursday night, as well, when it hosts the Philadelphia 76ers in the second end of a back-to-back (and the middle game in a three-in-four-nights stretch). Mazzulla said he doesn’t view these games as an opportunity to learn more about the back half of his bench — which now includes newcomer Miles Norris, who signed earlier this week on a two-way contract — but rather a chance for those deeper reserves to prove they can maintain the Celtics’ standard while the team’s bigger names are unavailable.
“I don’t have to learn that. I already know what they’re able to do,” the head coach said Wednesday in his pregame news conference. “They’ve done it. It’s just a matter of continuing to do that. And I think it breeds a sense of ownership to the guys because at the end of the day, regardless of who’s in, who’s out, we have the expectation to win. Whether they play every night or not, we hold them to a high standard, and they take that on. So, it’s not about learning. It’s about regardless of who’s in, who’s out, we’ve got to play Celtics basketball. We’ve got to give ourselves the best chance to win. Us and the staff have full faith in whoever’s out there that we have a chance to do that, so I’d say that’s most important.”
The Trail Blazers sit outside the playoff picture in the competitive Western Conference, but they carried a 15-6 record over their last 21 games into their lone visit to TD Garden this season.
Originally Published: March 5, 2025 at 6:30 PM EST