Celtics’ Jayson Tatum returns to the lineup for Game 3; Jrue Holiday sits out with a hamstring strain - The Boston Globe (2025)

ORLANDO — Celtics forward Jayson Tatum returned to action Friday night. He missed Game 2 against the Magic with a right distal radius bone bruise. Coach Joe Mazzulla said before the game that Tatum was feeling better. Tatum, who was initially listed as doubtful, participated in pregame warmups before the team announced he was available.

Tatum scored a game-high 36 points in Boston’s 95-93 loss, hitting all 12 of his free throws and knocking down 4 of 10 3-point attempts. He scored more than Jaylen Brown, Kristaps Porzingis, and Al Horford combined.

“He creates so much offense for them,” Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said. “That constant threat of being able to give you 20-plus [points] per night and then you have to sometimes put two bodies on him. The switching is different with him on the floor. It just creates so much weight when he has that basketball, so our ability to stay focused on him allows those others to get themselves going.”

Brown reappeared on the pregame injury report after his 36-point, 10-rebound double-double in Game 2 during which he played 42 minutes, but he played 34 minutes Friday night and scored 19 points.

Jrue Holiday was ruled out with a right hamstring strain. The defensive-minded guard led the Celtics with a team-high six assists in Game 2. Boston had a series-low 15 assists in Friday’s loss.

“He’s a fantastic defender, he’s a fantastic player,” Magic center Wendell Carter Jr. said. “He makes all the right plays whether that’s scoring, passing, or defending the best player.

“He’s a glue guy for them in my opinion and without him, that takes some threes off the board, maybe there’s some deflections or defensive stops, whatever the case may have been.”

Magic forward Paolo Banchero, who is averaging 32.3 points in the series, said Holiday’s absence did not make much of a difference to him.

“I wouldn’t say it really changed the game at all honestly,” Banchero said. “They kind of play the same way regardless of who is in the lineup, so I didn’t notice anything totally different.”

The Magic’s familiarity with the Celtics has let them get used to seeing various versions of the Celtics with different players out, Mosley said.

“Having to play them throughout the year, that’s been the case,” Mosley said. “You’re able to go back and look at the film when Tatum didn’t play, when Brown didn’t play, Holiday, all of these guys have had different moments of being out. So, you can go back and look at the game but the substitution patterns will change and I think that’s when you have to really rely on the feel and the flow of the game and how you adjust in real time.”

Mazzulla was asked how he balances the long view of the playoff picture with the need to win games on a night-to-night basis while managing the injuries.

“The best way to balance that is to focus on the present,” Mazzulla said. ”We’ve got a game tonight. We’ve got to execute all the details and the margins that go into winning. So, being present as much as you can is the best way to balance that.”

Mazzulla said he hasn’t been surprised by Orlando’s approach to the series. The Celtics have a 2-0 series lead despite their stars being banged up during this physical series. They came into Friday’s game expecting Orlando’s best shot.

“They’re well coached and they’re extremely physical on both ends and they make you fight for every possession and they’re constantly testing the margins,” Mazzulla said. “We have to be able to win in the margins, win in the trenches, and be able to execute on both ends of the floor.”

Derrick White finished 12th in the Defensive Player of the Year voting. He received one second-place vote, netting him three points. Cleveland’s Evan Mobley won the award, garnering 35 first-place votes and 285 total points.

Khari Thompson can be reached at khari.thompson@globe.com.