Celtics-Heat Notebook: ‘Overlooked’ Jrue Holiday dominates, Jayson Tatum expects ‘headbutting’ around rest, and the latest on Kristaps Porzingis

MIAMI — Jrue Holiday hasn’t had the smoothest ride this season. A shoulder impingement kept him out of the final four games preceding the NBA All-Star break, and then he suffered a mallet finger injury in his third game back post-break that kept him out of the next four.

Still, the two-time Olympic gold medalist pushed through the finger pain en route to his best game of the season against the Heat on Friday, exploding for 25 points on 10-15 shooting to go along with 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks, and 1 steal.

The offensive onslaught — his highest-scoring performance of the year — came at a perfect time, with Kristaps Porzingis (illness) and Jaylen Brown (right knee) both sidelined. Derrick White and Jayson Tatum combined to shoot just 10-29 from the field entering the fourth quarter, and the Celtics desperately needed an offensive bost.

With Tyler Herro largely assigned to the two-time All-Star, Holiday delivered, sinking 5 of 8 three-pointers and helping the Celtics stay afloat despite the offensive difficulties.

“He really was the one keeping us in the game for about three quarters,” White said.

Holiday is averaging 9 shot attempts this season, his lowest since his rookie season. And, Joe Mazzulla thinks his impact and abilities can sometimes be overlooked.

“it’s overlooked because that’s just the type of person that he is, and it’s also just the type of teammate that he is. He’ll do whatever it takes to win for his team,” Mazzulla said. “Tonight, the ball found him early. I’m glad he was aggressive, and he was able to build through that. I thought he made some timely plays and some big-time plays. I’m really happy for him, because he does get overlooked at times. We’re really grateful to have him.”

While Holiday is happy to accept a smaller role when it leads to winning, he said he enjoyed the chance to attack the basket on Friday night.

“You get to get in your bag a little bit,” Holiday said. “But I’ve been playing in this league for a long time, so I know it’s there.”

White said he thinks that the Celtics could sometimes do a better job of getting him involved when he has mismatches. The Heat’s Tyler Herro guarded him in this one, and some of Holiday’s top games as a Celtic have come when the opposing teams’ offensive stars (who are often weaker defensively) have guarded him.

“He’s just so selfless and just doesn’t care about anything but winning,” White said. “But he still is Jrue Holiday, and still is a problem out there.”

Holiday’s teammates aren’t overlooking his impact. Tatum said it was “special” to see him have that type of performance, especially considering he’s playing through injury.

“It’s the nature of this business,” Tatum said. “They quickly forgot about a two-time All-Star, two-time Olympian, two-time champion.”

“I’ve been very fortunate to be on a championship team with him. I won two gold medals with him. So, I for sure appreciate Jrue Holiday and what he’s helped me in my career.”

White noted that Holiday being overlooked is nothing new.

“Hasn’t Jrue Holiday been underrated his whole career?” White said, firmly adding: “He’s one of the best players in the league — and he’s been that for a while.”

Neemias Queta, who played 23 minutes in the win (and the entire fourth quarter) credited the 34-year-old for his leadership in the locker room, noting that he’s shared his veteran wisdom with the younger guys in the locker room, whether that’s helping them through fluctuating minutes or roles.

“That’s big-time for us young players that are trying to make our name in this league — when you got a guy like that that’s so humble, helpful for everybody, so selfless,” Queta said.

Holiday knows that there’s a sacrifice that he, alongside many others on the roster, regularly make in the pursuit of a second Celtics title.

But he thinks that sacrifice is well worth it.

“When you have a team that’s talented, and you see guys in their prime, or right before their prime — you want to get a chance to show what you have,” Holiday said. “Those opportunities will come — sometimes winning, or getting a chance to win, doesn’t come as often. Take advantage of it while you have it.”

Derrick White bounces back from his first NBA foul-out game

White fouled out for the first time in his NBA career on Wednesday night against Oklahoma City. At shootaround Friday, White said that he had actually told Celtics assistant coach Matt Reynolds earlier in the season that he’d never fouled out of an NBA game— and that he now feels like he jinxed it.

Mazzulla explained pregame how White limits his fouls despite being an aggressive defender.

“He’s smart about how he has the ability to go for steals, how he times his blocks, his verticality — but I didn’t know that [he’s never fouled out before],” Mazzulla said. “That’s an interesting stat. He has an innate ability to time all those things to where he can go for the ball, where he has a verticality there.”

Fittingly, White was the only Celtic to finish with zero fouls on Friday. He also exploded for a game-high 12 fourth-quarter points to help the Celtics put away the Heat, hitting several ridiculous late shot-clock three-pointers.

He finished the night with 18 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals.

Earlier Friday, White said that even though Miami no longer had Jimmy Butler, there is still extra juice when the Heat and Celtics face off.

“Every time you come here, it’s always a little bit extra [between] us two because of how familiar we are with each other.”

Kristaps Porzingis misses eigth straight game with a viral illness

Porzingis went through a lengthy shootaround on Friday morning after being listed as questionable with an illness, but he still ended up missing his 8th straight game.

Mazzulla didn’t have an update for his status pregame, but he acknowledged that there’s value in having their regular rotation available and healthy for as long as possible before the postseason.

“I think it’s important to be able to get as many reps as we can,” Mazzulla said. “I think at the end of the day, it’s what gives us the best chance to win — what’s best for the team, what’s best for the guys individually, trying to find that balance. But I think it’s definitely important to continue to get as many reps as we possibly can with our entire team.”

White said he’s looking forward to having Porzingis back in the lineup, whenever that is.

“He’s a dynamic that we miss and that you can’t really duplicate himself,” White said. “It’ll be nice, once he gets back and healthy, to get him back into the flow of things, and try to get him back into game shape and everything. It’s all a process.”

Porzingis has appeared in 32 of the Celtics’ 67 games this season, and has missed 8 of 9 games since first falling ill on Feb. 25.

To rest or not to rest the Celtics stars?

The Celtics appear firmly locked into the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference with just 15 regular season games to play. They’re 8.5 games back of the Cleveland Cavaliers for first place and are 5 games ahead of the New York Knicks.

As such, the next few weeks of the regular season will continue the age-old question: rest guys for the playoffs, or let them play?

Derrick White (left knee contusion), Al Horford (left big toe sprain) and Jayson Tatum (right knee tendinopathy) were all on the injury report for Heat-Celtics game, but still played. Jaylen Brown (right knee posterior impingement) made the trip, but sat out.

Tatum said he expects “a lot of headbutting” in the coming weeks regarding which games he will rest. He’s made clear on multiple occasions this season that he dislikes missing games on the road in particular.

“I’ve talked about the value that I’ve put into playing in road games. I’ve been very blessed and fortunate to [when] I come in arenas, I see a lot of Tatum ‘0’ jerseys and kids with my shoes on,” Tatum said. “I understand they might be for their birthday or Christmas gift or whatever, and I try to stay ready and play as much and often as I can – and especially games on the road. I know somebody appreciated seeing me out there tonight.”

White, who has appeared in 63 of the Celtics’ 67 games thus far, simply said he’ll defer to the medical staff.

“I know what the big picture is and do a good job of trying to balance that and do what we need to do to win games, but also get our bodies and minds right for the playoffs,” he said. “I trust the medical staff.”

Oshae Brissett signs a 10-day contract with the Philadelphia 76ers

Another former Celtic is heading to Philadelphia; Oshae Brissett signed a 10-day contract with the team on Saturday after spending the last two months in the G League playing for the Long Island Nets.

He joins Guerschon Yabusele (a Celtic from 2017-2019) and Lonnie Walker IV (who was just with the Celtics for training camp) in Philadelphia.

Jayson Tatum was glad to see his good friends get that opportunity: “We talk often. That’s my brother.”

A 10-day contract doesn’t mean Brissett has a roster spot, but it is a good step forward from a G League post. Jaden Springer recently signed a 10-day with the Utah Jazz, which soon after became a three-year deal with the organization.

Tatum hopes something will stick.

“Definitely deserves to be in the league, so hopefully he can find a home — even if it’s in Philadelphia,” Tatum said. “That’s always my guy.”

Another home game in Kaseya Center

It’s nothing new for the Celtics at this point, but Kaseya Center become the latest road NBA arena to become inundated with Celtics fans. Pregame, I chatted with a slew of fans who had flown in from across the country, as well as several former Bostonians who now reside in Miami.

As the Celtics built a double-digit fourth-quarter lead, the Celtics fans in attendance grew increasingly loud.

“They always travel well with us,” White said. “And it’s always a great feeling when you’re on the road and you hear, ‘Let’s go Celtics’… we make a big shot, you hear the crowds here, like, it’s awesome, man. Extremely grateful to play for the Celtics organization because of the fans.”