BOSTON – Jamal Crawford warmed up at TD Garden Sunday morning wearing a mask that made him look like something out of a superhero movie.
The mask, which was fitted Saturday, is to protect the nasal fracture Crawford sustained in Friday night’s 98-73 loss to the Toronto Raptors when was hit in the face following a missed free throw.
“He’s got the fractured nose, but we got him a mask,” Clippers head coach Vinny Del Negro said. “He’s out there warming up and unless there’s complete discomfort, I expect him to play.”
The contraption itself consists of a clear splint that runs from his forehead to the tip of his nose. One white pad extends above his eyes and another across his nose. The pads are connected to black straps that fasten behind Crawford’s head.
Crawford, who is third on the team in scoring with 16.5 points per game, spent about 15 minutes on the court shooting while wearing the mask prior to the Clippers’ matchup with the Boston Celtics and said it feels “weird.”
“It will be alright,” Crawford said with a wry smile, adding that while the injury makes it a little harder to breathe he expects to play Sunday.
In 13 NBA seasons, the Sixth Man of the Year candidate has never worn any kind of protective contraption on his face. He said this mask was formed to fit his face, meaning he will not need a cotton headband, a la Chicago guard Richard Hamilton, to keep it from rubbing against his forehead.
Del Negro said Crawford did not participate in any basketball activities Saturday. He had an MRI following Friday’s game and a CT scan in Boston the next day.