Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum would leave game 2 of the Celtics and Nets series with an eye injury. Tatum left the game with 8 minutes, 48 seconds to play in the third quarter when he was accidentally poked in the eye by Nets star Kevin Durant causing him to fall to the floor turning the ball over. Tatum went to the locker room, but returned to the bench, he was later ruled from the rest of the game
The Nets would go on to win 130-108 and taking a 2-0 as the series shifts to Boston.
“He went back out on the court [and] tried to readjust to the light out there, and he was really struggling,” Celtics coach Brad Stevens said of Tatum. “He got scratched pretty good. It looks pretty red, it looks pretty swollen to me.
“I don’t know what that means. I don’t know what the exact diagnosis is. But he’s uncomfortable right now.”
According to former Los Angeles Lakers trainer, Marco Nunez there’s a good chance Tatum suffered a Corneal Abrasion. He will also need to wear protective glasses.
There is a very good chance that he suffered a Corneal Abrasion. A Corneal Abrasion is a scratch on your eye. Depending on the severity of the scratch, it can be very uncomfortable, even when you close your eye,” said Nunez.
“Many reports it feels like you have a small piece of sand that will not go away. Your eye becomes very sensitive to light; the bright lights from the arena tend to make your eye sting and burn hence why he probably left the game. In addition, it is very uncomfortable to wear contacts for several days. Team Physician May prescribe antibiotic drops along with some pain-reducing eye drops. In some cases, when a player returns, he may wear some protective eyeglasses to prevent further irritation.”
The Boston Celtics and Brooklyn Nets will play on Friday at 8:30 pm EST on ABC.