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Jrue Holiday Addresses Celtics Injury Issues Before Game 4

Originally posted on Boston Celtics on SI | By Seth Quinn | Last updated May 12, 2025 4:52 PM ET

The Boston Celtics head into Game 4 of their second-round series against the New York Knicks down two games to one. After blowing a lead in eerily similar fashion in the first two games of the series, the Celtics took care of business on the road to give them hope of taking the series still.

With an uphill battle still in process, all hands on deck will be needed to pull off the comeback. The Celtics entered the series as clear favorites, and probably need to win Game 4 if they want to take the momentum back in the series.

After a physical Orlando series that had multiple players dealing with injuries, the Celtics' injury report is looking much cleaner now, with just Sam Hauser remaining on the injury report.

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While Hauser hasn't looked the best so far in this year's playoffs, his shooting threat is a must for the long-term success of the team. He also has some size on the wing to back-up Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, which they lack immensely without him in the lineup.

Jrue Holiday understands that, and talked about the importance of a Hauser return to the press.

Jrue Holiday on the possibility of Sam Hauser coming back today:

“It’d be huge.” pic.twitter.com/myVpwqCnR1
— Noa Dalzell (@NoaDalzell) May 12, 2025

Part of how the Celtics won the title last year was their depth, so having everyone healthy is a big part of the team firing on all cylinders. Without Hauser in the fold, the team's bench consists entirely of guards and bigs, which isn't ideal against a Knicks squad that relies a lot on wings Josh Hart, OG Anunoby, and Mikal Bridges.

The Knicks also are a team who play their starters a ton, so having extra depth against them is a huge advantage.

While the team turned things around in Game 3, another benefit of having Hauser back and healthy is the three-point shooting boost he provides. During the regular season, Hauser was behind only Payton Pritchard in three-point shooting at just under 46 percent.

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Pritchard's shooting was a big reason the Celtics pulled out a win in Game 3, so having Hauser find his shot as well off the bench could be a huge factor in the team winning Game 4 in beyond.

While it is concerning that the team relies so much on the three-pointer to succeed, having all the shooters they can get is important to open up the offense. Now that the three is falling and Hauser is potentially returning to further increase the shooting threats, the Celtics should fare much better on offense overall and not allow the Knicks to make any more huge comebacks this series.

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This article first appeared on Boston Celtics on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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