Pelicans point guard Jrue Holiday expected to return Friday
New Orleans Pelicans head coach Monty Williams said that he expects point guard Jrue Holiday to return Friday against the Phoenix Suns.
Holiday has not played since Jan. 12 due to a stress reaction in his right leg. Williams said Holiday will be limited to less than 15 minutes per game for the rest of the season unless he ends up feeling better and thinks he is "not in harm's way."
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"He's excited to be back on the floor," said Williams. "He means so much to our team. Not just to the defense, but his offensive ability. It’s going to take him some time—and he doesn’t have a lot of time—but we’re glad to have him back."
Prior to the injury, Holiday was averaging 15.2 points, 7.1 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 1.6 steals while shooting 44.4% from the field.
[daily_cut.NBA]The 24-year-old missed the final 48 games of last season with a stress fracture in his right tibia, the same leg where he dealt with the injury this year. He was an All-Star with the Philadelphia 76ers in 2012-13 before being traded to the Pelicans in June of 2013.
The Pelicans currently hold the No. 8 spot in the Western Conference standings at 42-36 and have four regular season games remaining.
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- Molly Geary
