How Celtics Interim Coach Joe Mazzulla Apparently Suffered Eye Injury

The NBA has had bizarre injury reports in its history, and the Celtics were not immune to that.

Boston announced interim head coach Joe Mazzulla is questionable due to corneal abrasions ahead of Thursday’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers. The team said the eye injury was suffered during a recent pickup game, per MassLive’s Souichi Terada.

Mazzulla was scratched — no pun intended — prior to Tuesday’s game against the Houston Rockets. The interim head coach was bothered by what was then described as “eye irritation” and sat out the game in a “last-minute” decision, and assistant Damon Stoudamire took over head coaching duties and led the Celtics to a win.

Boston is riding a three-game win streak heading into Thursday, and it faces a tough challenge against a 21-15 Clippers team. Marcus Smart said he did not see Mazzulla during Thursday morning shootaround, per Terada.

The Celtics are a consensus 6.5-point favorite, so the interim head coach might not need to make a quick turnaround.