The Boston Celtics, reigning NBA champions, just fell to the Cleveland Cavaliers at home tonight. They led after the first quarter but lost their momentum in the subsequent quarters, which ultimately cost them the game. Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday missed this game. However, while Kristaps was sick, Holiday suffered an injury that is extremely uncommon among NBA players. But that doesn’t mean it’s no biggie.

Jrue Holiday missed the Cleveland Cavaliers game with a case of ‘mallet finger.’ What is a mallet finger? Here’s how tonight’s sideline reporter, Lisa Salters, explained it. “It’s when the tendon at the tip of your finger is damaged and causes you not to be able to straighten it. So the tip of the finger kind of droops down like a mallet.”

She continued, “Not only is the injury painful, but it affects your game, makes it hard to control the ball, to pass, to catch, especially to shoot…And if you’re a Celtics fan, you’re certainly hoping it’s not something that lingers.” We couldn’t have said it better ourselves!

‘Mallet finger’ is an injury common among NFL players. But it’s not a big deal for them since they can just play with a splint on. However, the scenario changes completely when it’s a basketball player. Think about it. Your handle, shots, and passes will all be compromised if you’re playing in pain with a splint on your finger. Especially if it’s your dominant hand.

The Cleveland Clinic says that it takes a few weeks to a few months to recover from this injury. Thankfully for the Celtics, most cases of mallet finger don’t require surgery; a simple splint to keep the tendon in its right place usually suffices. Even so, a few weeks of recovery time might not bode well for Joe Mazzulla’s team. Speaking of Mazzulla, let’s see what he said about Holiday’s status.

Joe Mazzulla reveals Jrue Holiday’s status after he suffers a rare injury

Joe Mazzulla was his usual laid-back self at the pregame press conference tonight. And he gave us a quick update about how Jrue Holiday’s recovery was coming along. And Celtics fans, we think you’ll like what Joe had to say.

A reporter asked him how serious Jrue’s injury was, and here’s how he responded. “Yeah, it’s just day-to-day. Just managing the pain. And when he can manage the pain, he’ll be ready to play.” Joe also revealed that Kristaps Porzingis‘ status is day-to-day as well. “He’s just sick, he’s not feeling well,” he said about Porzingis.

These statements from Joe will fill Boston fans with hope. The loss to the Cavaliers was deflating. After all, the Celtics got off to a sizzling start with 72 points in the first half. However, that momentum quickly tapered off as they only managed 42 points in the second half.

Without some of their best defenders, the Celtics were left short-handed against the Cavs, and it showed. They conceded 46 points in the paint and blew a 22-point lead tonight. Something they probably could have staved off with the aforementioned trio present. Nevertheless, there’s no shame in losing to the top seed in the Eastern Conference. And they will have their shot at redemption once the post-season begins. Hopefully, their players will remain healthy in the Spring!