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Payne will be active for Friday's Game 3 tilt with the Celtics, Nick Friedell of ESPN.com reports.
Payne, who has been virtually nonexistent since being shipped to the Bulls at the trade deadline, will join the rotation after Rajon Rondo (thumb) was ruled out indefinitely Friday morning. Jerian Grant will take over as stater for Game 3 and beyond, with Michael Carter-Williams also likely to see an uptick in minutes. However, if either point guard struggles or gets in foul trouble expect Payne, who has only played in two of the past 15 games, to take the court.
