-
Tim BontempsESPN
Boston Celtics coach Brad Stevens said Marcus Smart will get an MRI on his left leg on Sunday after the guard is helped off the field after a tricky landing fighting for a fourth quarter rebound from a 96-95 loss to the Los Angeles. Lakers on Saturday night.
Smart, who started the game with an average of 13.2 points and 6.0 assists – both career heights – didn’t seem to land on anyone’s foot when he landed in front of the Boston bench with 10 minutes, 31 seconds to go in the fourth quarter . But moments later, Smart grabbed the back of his left leg and sank to the floor in squirmy pain.
After Boston called timeout, Smart lay down for a while before finally being helped off the field and immediately returned to the Boston locker room by two Boston employees. He put no weight on his left leg at all while he was being helped.
“Yes, everyone was concerned about his health,” Celtics star Jaylen Brown said after the game. “And he was just trying our best to redirect that energy, because when a man goes down, we have to take it a step higher.
“Marcus is essential to our team, man – he’s been great. Whether the numbers show it or not, Marcus has been a leader on this team; he’s been one who’s been looking to get guys the ball in the right place. including me. So to have him crash like that in the middle of the game, everyone was definitely concerned. Hopefully the MRI is negative and we get him and we can get some wins along the way. ”
Smart has long been the glue that holds the Celtics together, a fiery presence on and off the pitch, and one of the best and most versatile defenders in the league. During the first month of the season, he took on a bigger role as a player than in previous years due to the absence of Kemba Walker and Jayson Tatum in the early season.
Boston, which has lost two games in a row, is leaving Monday for a five-game West Coast trip that starts in San Francisco on Tuesday against the Golden State Warriors.