As the Boston Celtics gear up for a pivotal Game 4 showdown with the Orlando Magic, their roster is grappling with significant injury concerns that could tilt the scales in this tightly contested playoff series.
The team’s public relations staff released an updated injury report, revealing that two cornerstone starters are in jeopardy for Sunday night’s clash. Jrue Holiday, a linchpin in Boston’s defensive and playmaking schemes, has been ruled out entirely due to a persistent right hamstring strain.
This marks his second consecutive absence after missing Game 3, where the Celtics faltered in a narrow 95-93 defeat, underscoring his critical role on both ends of the court.Adding to the uncertainty, Jaylen Brown’s status remains up in the air, listed as questionable with a nagging right knee posterior impingement that has dogged him for months.
Brown, who underwent pain-reducing injections before the postseason, has been a warrior through discomfort, but his availability is far from guaranteed. His resilience was on display in Game 3, where he played through a dislocated finger sustained during a physical altercation with Orlando’s Cole Anthony—an incident that didn’t contribute to his current injury listing but highlighted the bruising nature of this series.
Brown’s potential absence would be a blow, given his Game 2 heroics, where he erupted for 36 points and 10 rebounds to anchor Boston’s attack in Jayson Tatum’s absence.Tatum, thankfully, has emerged from the injury cloud that loomed over him earlier in the series.
After a hard fall in Game 1 courtesy of a foul by Kentavious Caldwell-Pope left him with a severe right wrist bone bruise, he progressed from doubtful to questionable to active for Game 3. Now absent from the injury report, Tatum’s return to full health is a beacon of hope for a Celtics squad desperate to regain momentum.
However, the team’s Game 3 performance exposed vulnerabilities, with 19 turnovers—13 from Tatum and Brown alone—fueling Orlando’s comeback. Head coach Joe Mazzulla emphasized the need to address these miscues, noting that 46 of Orlando’s 95 points stemmed from turnovers, offensive rebounds, and free throws, areas Boston must shore up to reclaim control.
Holiday’s absence looms large, as his elite one-on-one defense has been a thorn in the side of Orlando’s young stars, Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero. Without him, the Magic exploited mismatches, with Wagner and Banchero facing less resistance. Mazzulla remains optimistic about Holiday’s recovery, describing him as “day-to-day” and progressing, but the Celtics will lean heavily on their depth in his absence.
Players like Payton Pritchard and Sam Hauser may see expanded roles, tasked with filling the void left by one of the NBA’s premier defenders. Meanwhile, the Magic continue to navigate their own injury woes, with Jalen Suggs sidelined by a left knee trochlea cartilage tear and Mo Wagner out with a torn left ACL, both ruled out for the season.
The narrative of Game 3 centered on Orlando’s unrelenting physicality, which Boston struggled to counter. A flagrant foul by Anthony on Brown was one of three such calls in the series, prompting Brown to call out the Magic’s aggressive tactics. Yet Mazzulla redirected focus to Boston’s self-inflicted wounds, urging his team to “fight like hell” to win the margins that decide playoff games.
As Game 4 approaches, the Celtics stand at a crossroads: they must harness their championship pedigree, adapt to potential absences, and match Orlando’s intensity to avoid letting this series slip further. With Tatum back in the fold and Brown’s status hanging in the balance, Boston’s resolve will be tested in a hostile environment as they aim to take a commanding 3-1 lead.