Good news for the Boston Celtics. Bad news for the New York Knicks.
Two-time champion Jrue Holiday is off the injury report, per multiple reports. The veteran point guard will make his return in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Knicks on Monday after missing the last three games of the Celtics-Magic first-round series.
Holiday was considered day-to-day until he was finally cleared to return.
“He’s getting better every day,” Boston coach Joe Mazzulla told reporters after Friday’s practice. “Doing whatever he can to make sure he puts himself in position to come back as fast as he can. He’s working hard.”
The 34-year-old Holiday has been sidelined since April 24 due to a hamstring strain. There is no report yet on whether he will be on a minute restriction in his return.
The Celtics were 2-1 in this playoff with Holiday in the lineup. The 6-foot-4 point guard averaged 16.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.0 steals in three games against the Knicks this season.
Holiday will have his hands full against the Knicks’ star point guard Jalen Brunson, who averaged 31.5 points and 8.2 assists in the first round.
Celtics star Jaylen Brown will also be available after battling knee trouble in the second half of the season.
Boston swept New York in their season head-to-head, which makes the Celtics the overwhelming favorites.
Nobody from ESPN’s NBA experts picked the Knicks to upset the defending champion.
Ex-Knick Kristaps Porzingis Says Celtics ‘Have More to Lose’
Boston center Kristaps Porzingis warned his current team about the pressure they face in this second-round matchup against his former team, the underdog Knicks.
“It goes back to experience,” Porzingis told reporters. “The experience and versatility of our team. So many guys that can step up…It’s a big advantage that we have. Not many teams have this type of talent… I believe we’re going to be the favorites and betting odds, right? So if anything, it’s us who have more to lose because we’re supposed to win.”
While the Celtics have swept the Knicks, their last game went into overtime and they needed Porzingis and Jayson Tatum’s heroics to extend their mastery over their Atlantic division rivals with a narrow 119-117 win.
The Knicks had this matchup against Porzingis and Boston’s five-man out play when they swung a blockbuster trade for Karl-Anthony Towns in the offseason.
The Porzingis-Towns matchup will be on the subplots of the series, as both big men have the ability to stretch the floor with their outside shooting.
Joe Mazzulla Warns of a ‘Physical Series’
While Boston seemingly cruised past Orlando in the first round with a gentleman’s sweep, it has been a brutal and physical series.
Mazzulla expects no different against the Knicks, who are coming off a very physical first-round win against the upstart Detroit Pistons.
“It will be a physical series,” Mazzulla said of their second-round matchup against the Knicks. “It will come down to the margins.”
