Celtics' Jayson Tatum, Jrue Holiday, Jaylen Brown in Danger of Missing Game 3

Nov 1, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Boston Celtics guard Jrue Holiday (4) helps forward Jayson Tatum (0) onto his feet after a foul late during the second half against the Charlotte Hornets at the Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

A trio of Boston Celtics stars could sit out a critical Game 3 matchup against the Orlando Magic in the first round of Boston's title defense.

Per Boston, All-Star forwards Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, plus All-Defensive Team guard Jrue Holiday, could all miss the best-of-seven series' first game in Orlando, slated to tip off on Friday night.

Injury Report update:

Jaylen Brown (right knee posterior impingement) - QUESTIONABLE
Jrue Holiday (right hamstring strain) - QUESTIONABLE
Jayson Tatum (right distal radius bone bruise) - DOUBTFUL https://t.co/2f67zRTVUk

— Boston Celtics (@celtics) April 25, 2025

Brown, who has been dealing with a right knee posterior impingement for months and needed a pain-reducing injection ahead of the playoffs, has been downgraded to merely questionable to square off against the Magic. He's a new addition to the Celtics' injury report since Thursday.

Read More: Celtics Could Be Without Two Starters For Game 3 vs Magic

Tatum missed out on Game 2 of the series on Tuesday — the 27-year-old's first skipped postseason action since he was selected by Boston out of Duke with the No. 3 pick in the 2017 NBA Draft.

The six-time All-Star power forward suffered a right wrist distal radius bone bruise during Game 1 of the series and is considered doubtful to return to the court in time for Game 3.

In Boston's103-86 Game 1 victory over Orlando, Tatum notched 17 points while shooting 8-of-22 from the floor, pulled down 14 rebounds, passed for four assists, and notched one steal and a block, all while doing his darnedest to make life difficult for his Magic counterpart Paolo Banchero.

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Holiday, who's been playing with a pinky injury for months, incurred a right hamstring strain during Game 2 and has been downgraded to questionable.

Asked to step up more offensively in the absence of Tatum (he always brings it on the other end, even if the 34-year-old feels a bit diminished this season), Holiday registered a rare dunk during Game 2.

Couldn't lose the Jrue Holiday dunk game 🤣

Tap in to the Game 2 postgame pod ⤵️
📺 https://t.co/KJn35LgdD9
🔊 https://t.co/shcYfwBUrd pic.twitter.com/5xSg78nFGN

— Boston Celtics (@celtics) April 24, 2025

Losing Tatum especially for consecutive games will hurt Boston on both sides of the hardwood. If one or both of Brown and Holiday are available, it's possible the team could still weather the storm even in the short term.

Were all of the Celtics' top eight players completely healthy, they would not drop a game in this series. Now, their grip on control feels more tenuous.

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Along with other rising sports world luminaries, Tatum recently appeared in Gatorade's “Lose More. Win More” campaign, designed to shine a light on the idea of losing sweat by maximizing preparation in order to win at your game.

“Last year’s NBA Championship was one of the best moments of my career so far, especially knowing how much sweat and sacrifice was behind it," Tatum told Gatorade PR. "Winning doesn’t come without discipline, so it’s cool to spread that message with Gatorade.”

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For more news and notes on the Boston Celtics, visit Boston Celtics on SI.