BOSTON — Jrue Holiday scored just six points in his first playoff game as a Celtic, but he made life miserable for one of the Heat’s most important players.
The veteran guard spent most of Sunday afternoon hounding Tyler Herro, Miami’s co-leading scorer during the regular season. With star Jimmy Butler sidelined with a knee injury suffered during the NBA’s Play-In Tournament, the Heat needed Herro to pop to have a chance against the heavily favored Celtics.
Instead, the Kentucky product managed just 11 points in 34 minutes as Boston breezed to a 114-94 win in Game 1 of the opening-round series. It was Herro’s lowest scoring output since Jan. 5. More than half of his points (and two of his three made 3-pointers) came in the fourth quarter with Miami trailing by 20-plus.
Holiday offset his own quiet offensive outing (his six points were his fewest in a playoff game since 2021) by notching seven rebounds, three assists, two steals, two blocks and zero fouls.
“He was very solid,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said. “Jrue’s ability to just stick to a game plan but at the same time use his instincts is huge for us. He did a great job throughout the game of staying with (Herro) and making it difficult, and we need him to continue to do that. He got off to a great start defensively with his effort.”
Holiday has been a perfect fit for Boston since coming over from Milwaukee in an offseason trade, and his often unheralded contributions will be vital for the Celtics as they embark on what should be a deep playoff run. The 33-year-old also is the only player on Boston’s roster with a championship ring, which he won with the Bucks in 2021.
“Jrue does all the things that may not always show up on the stat sheet every single night,” said Jayson Tatum, who recorded his first career postseason triple-double in Sunday’s win. “His presence, his ability to screen, always wants to guard the best players, take tendencies away. He got a lot of timely offensive rebounds for us tonight. Jrue is a champion. We’re very lucky to have him on our team and, and everything he brings to our team for us to be successful.”