SALT LAKE CITY -- Thunder center Mike Muscala checked his left eye before stepping in front of the cameras in the locker room, decided it didn’t look too bad, and entered the post-game scrum.
A purplish crescent had begun to form just above his cheekbone. The slight swelling suggested it could grow darker in the coming days.
Muscala got the black eye while battling Jazz center Rudy Gobert on defense in the first half of the Thunder’s 100-95 loss at Utah on Wednesday. It was a first half in which Muscala spent more time on the floor than starting center Steven Adams.