Celtics

Jrue Holiday misses USA’s group play finale, Jayson Tatum comes out strong in win vs. Puerto Rico

Tatum had eight points and six rebounds at halftime after getting his second start of the Olympics.

Jrue Holiday has played a key role for the United States so far. SAMEER AL-DOUMY/AFP via Getty Images

updated on August 3, 2024

One of the three Celtics players on the United States men’s national basketball team missed Saturday’s 104-83 win against Puerto Rico due to injury while another had a standout performance

Jrue Holiday didn’t play in the Group C finale due to an ankle injury. The Celtics guard was initially deemed “questionable” for Saturday’s game by United States head coach Steve Kerr.

Holiday suffered the ankle injury in the United States’ 103-86 win over South Sudan on Wednesday. He appeared to roll his ankle on a defensive play in the second half.

Despite showing some initial pain, Holiday remained in the game. He finished Wednesday’s game with five points, two rebounds, an assist, and a block in 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, Jayson Tatum was in the starting lineup for the second straight game for Team USA. He arguably had his best performance dating back to the five-game exhibition slate, coming out of the gate strong on Saturday. He had six points in his opening stint, making all three of his shots to go with two rebounds, two steals, and an assist as he played aggressively.

Tatum wasn’t as assertive as the game went on, though Team USA didn’t need him to be. He finished with 10 points on 4 of 9 shooting with 10 rebounds, three assists, and two steals.

Still, Tatum seemed to show he fit in with the starting lineup. Prior to starting in Wednesday’s win against South Sudan, Tatum didn’t play at all in Sunday’s victory over Serbia due to a coach’s decision.

Tatum’s limited role early on might have been due to Holiday having a larger impact than many anticipated as Kerr has played guard-heavy lineups. Holiday started in the USA’s opening win of the Olympics, scoring 15 points on 6 of 8 shooting from the field with four rebounds, three assists, and two steals against Serbia. He averaged 8.4 points on 60 percent shooting with 3.6 rebounds, and 3.2 assists in 17.8 minutes per game over the five-game exhibition series.

Derrick White also got a good bit of playing time on Saturday. He scored two points on 1 of 4 shooting with two assists, a block, a rebound, and a steal in just over 22 minutes of action.

White suffered a stinger in Wednesday’s game, going down for a moment after taking an unsuspecting screen to his back. He remained in that game though, finishing with 10 points on 3 of 3 shooting with three steals in 16 minutes.

Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards led the way in scoring for the United States on Saturday, putting up 26 points on 11 of 15 shooting.

The United States didn’t need a victory over Puerto Rico as it’s already clinched a spot in the quarterfinals. But with the 21-point win, it surpassed Germany on point differential to get the No. 1 overall seed in the knockout stage. It’ll face one of Greece, Serbia, South Sudan, or Brazil in the quarterfinal on Tuesday.