The Celtics are playing again without the injured Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis

The Celtics are playing again without the injured Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis

Celtics guard Jrue holiday and center Kristaps Porzingis remained sidelined for Sunday night’s game against the Pacers. It was Holiday’s third consecutive absence with a shoulder injury, and Porzingis sat out his second straight game with a sprained ankle.

Porzingis suffered the injury in the first half of Boston’s Christmas Day loss to the 76ers and did not return for the second half.

“He’s getting better every day,” coach Joe Mazzulla said. “He’s working on it. So we’ll continue to see him improve.”

Mazzulla said he wasn’t sure how Holiday was injured and gave a similarly vague assessment.

“I’m getting better every day,” Mazzulla said. “And he’ll continue to improve and we’ll see how he goes.”

Sam Hauser started against the Pacers for the second straight game without Holiday out. Al Horford remained in the starting lineup in place of Porzingis.

Pacer’s guard Andrew Nembhard returned on Sunday after missing Friday’s game between the two teams due to knee soreness. Forward Aaron Nesmith (ankle) and Obi Toppin (Ankle) stayed out for Indiana.

Carlisle supports the big man

Porzingis has battled some nagging injuries during his season and a half with the Celtics and throughout his career. But Pacers coach Rick Carlisle, who coached Porzingis during his two and a half seasons with the Mavericks, made it clear that the absences should not be confused with a lack of will.

“He’s a tough guy,” Carlisle said. “He wants to play. He’s a great practice player, he’s a great worker. Having a 7-foot-2-inch frame like that is going to present some challenges, especially because of the dynamic way he plays. He will move around the court like a guard. But I’ll tell you this: the guy is a competitor. He is an absolute team player and, regardless of injury, does everything he can to get fit again as quickly as possible.

“I was very surprised when he played in the deciding game (of the NBA Finals) last year. It just seemed like these guys could probably get by without him anyway. But that’s just him. He wants to play, he wants to help his team, he wants to be part of the team. I know it meant a lot to him to win a championship and I’m thrilled for him to be able to experience that.”

Tatum commands attention

Celtics forward Jayson Tatum He entered Sunday with a career average of 9.6 rebounds, good for 17th in the NBA. He had reached double-digit rebounds in eight consecutive games, including two 15-rebound performances.

“The way we play together, he’s often in the (opponent’s center) and therefore closer to the basket,” Mazzulla said. “But it’s another way for him to compete with his rebounding ability. He does a good job of maintaining balance, pushing forward even in transition, where he was more aggressive, and finding passes to (a teammate). So it’s just a matter of him asserting himself and doing what we expect of him. And he is ready for that. That’s why it’s important that he continues to bounce back at a high level on both ends of the field.”


Adam Himmelsbach can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him @adamhimmelsbach.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *