Jrue Holiday is out and the Boston Celtics veteran guard is uncertain when he’ll return.
Holiday sat out on Sunday against the Denver Nuggets, marking his second consecutive missed game. He’s dealing with mallet finger and has his right pinky in a cast.
“I’m not gonna lie, I didn’t really hear of the term mallet finger until people were telling me I had mallet finger,” Holiday said. “They just told me that I broke my finger, so, that simple.
“I mean, I’m shooting, dribbling, catching, it’s probably all pretty weird or, I mean, honestly, inconvenient. I haven’t tried so far to catch a ball because of the pain, but I will soon.”
The good news is that Holiday does not believe the injury will require surgery. But he’s still uncertain about when he could be back on the court.
“Trying to figure out — I’m going to be in a splint for a minute but figuring that out since it’s on my shooting hand,” Holiday said. “I Would love to be as healthy as possible, but things happen.”
Holiday, 34, has played in 47 games this season, averaging just over 30 minutes per game. He’s putting up 10.8 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game. Holiday has also provided a strong defensive presence as a perennial NBA All-Defensive Team selection.
If Holiday returns with a splint, it could further hinder his shooting, which has already been inconsistent this season. He’s hitting 43.8% of his shots from the field and 34.2% from beyond the arc.
Celtics Reeling After Pair of Losses
The Celtics entered Sunday’s game with a 42-18 record, good for the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference. Boston trails only Cleveland, which handed them a tough loss on Friday. The Cavaliers overcame a 22-point deficit to give Boston its second consecutive loss.
The Celtics lost by 20 to the Detroit Pistons in their previous matchup. It was just the second time that Boston has lost consecutive games this season.
“In a game when you lose like that, everybody has to be better,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said. Coaches have to be better, players have to be better, so you gotta make better adjustments, you gotta put guys in position.”
Celtics Praise New Addition Torrey Craig
The Celtics are one of the deepest teams in the league but added veteran forward Torrey Craig in February. Craig brings playoff experience, with more than 75 postseason games on his resume.
Craig has yet to find his spot in the rotation. However, Mazzulla praised the veteran for his early contributions.
“He guarded Ty Jerome at the end of the quarter and was able to get a stop,” Mazzulla said of Craig’s impact against the Cavs. “To me the amount of minutes don’t add up to what the opportunity is. Playing 20 minutes is as important as playing 20 seconds if you execute the situation that we need you to do.
“He’s exactly where we need him to be. He has an open mind, he’s ready to impact the game in whichever way.”
The Celtics has a few days off before hosting the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Celtics Veteran Jrue Holiday Drops Bad News on Return After Injury appeared first on Heavy Sports.