Boston's injury report for Thursday's meeting with LA doesn't tell the full story.
In addition to Danilo Gallinari, who remains sidelined after tearing his ACL, and JD Davison and Mfiondu Kabengele, both of whom are on G League assignment, the Celtics will be without interim head coach Joe Mazzulla.
Mazzulla is set to miss his second game, this time against the Clippers. Why? Because of an injury suffered during a pickup game.
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Why isn't Joe Mazzulla coaching the Celtics?
Before Boston's matchup with Houston on Dec. 27, the Celtics announced that Mazzulla wouldn't coach because of eye irritation. Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe tweeted that Mazzulla was "squinting badly" when he spoke to the media pregame.
The Celtics announced a couple of days later that Mazzulla is dealing with corneal abrasions, which he suffered while playing pickup on the day of the Rockets game.
Mazzulla wasn't present at Thursday's shootaround. Marcus Smart said they haven't seen him since the injury.
"We just know he has a corneal abrasion," Smart said. "We don't know what really happened or what's going on. As someone who has dealt with eye problems, just take your time and don't rush.
"We're praying and hope that he gets better soon."
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Marcus Smart this morning on Joe Mazzulla, who was not present at shootaround.
— Celtics on CLNS (@CelticsCLNS) December 29, 2022
Mazzulla suffered corneal abrasions in a pickup game and missed Tuesday's win vs. Houston: https://t.co/LZp8LbRPw4 pic.twitter.com/QsssEYeCX6
Later on Thursday afternoon, Mazzulla was ruled out for Boston's game against the Clippers. Assistant coach Damon Stoudamire will once again replace him on the sidelines.
#NEBHInjuryReport Interim Head Coach Joe Mazzulla will not coach tonight’s game against the LA Clippers due to corneal abrasions.
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) December 29, 2022
Assistant Coach Damon Stoudamire will coach the team in his absence.
The Celtics currently have the best record in the NBA at 25-10. After facing the Clippers, they'll travel to the Western Conference for a four-game road trip.
