Wizards’ Bradley Beal enters concussion protocol after getting nailed in the nose by Marcus Smart

Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal advances the ball as Boston Celtics guard Evan Turner defends during the first half at Verizon Center. Brad Mills/USA Today Sports

By PJ Wright @ThePJWright

January 26, 2016

1 minute to read

Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal was forced to leave Monday night’s 116-91 loss to the Celtics after he got a forearm to the face from Marcus Smart on a layup in the second quarter.

Blood gushed from Beal’s nose as he walked off the floor with a trainer. At first he was listed as questionable to return but was later ruled out, forced to enter the concussion protocol. Beal didn’t travel with the team to Toronto on Tuesday. He finished with four points in nine minutes of action.

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The game against the Celtics was the first in which the Wizards played with 13 available players since Nov. 4 against the San Antonio Spurs.

“We get one back, lose another guy,’’ Wizards guard John Wall said. “That’s the toughest part.’’

The face injury is just the latest for Beal, who has been riddled with injuries throughout his four-year career. This season, the 22-year-old sharpshooter missed three games due to a left shoulder injury, 16 due to a stress reaction in the right fibula, and missed one game to rest on the second night of a back-to-back to avoid irritating that fibula.

Monday was Beal’s fifth game since the fibula injury and hasn’t started one of those games. His minutes were expected to take a jump next week before a return to the starting lineup, but the nose injury may sideline him for another extended period of time.