Celtics’ Jrue Holiday out for USA’s group play finale vs. Puerto Rico

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.

Holiday’s role on the United States roster has been larger than some might have initially anticipated it would be. He started in its 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.

Meanwhile, Jayson Tatum is back in the starting lineup for Team USA. There was much made about Tatum’s absence in the United States’ win over Serbia on Sunday, sitting that game out due to a coach’s decision. But he started in Wednesday’s game, scoring four points on 2 of 4 shooting with five rebounds, two assists, and a block in the win over South Sudan.

Holiday wasn’t the only Celtics guard who had an injury scare in Wednesday’s game. Derrick White went down for a moment after taking an unsuspecting screen to his back in the second half, laying down on the court face down as he labored in pain. He remained in the game though, finishing with 10 points on 3 of 3 shooting with three steals in 16 minutes.

The United States doesn’t need a victory over Puerto Rico as it’s already clinched a spot in the quarterfinals. However, it needs to win by at least five points in order to clinch the No. 1 overall seed in the knockout stage.