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Tim BontempsESPN
Celtics coach Brad Stevens said Marcus Smart will get an MRI on his left leg Sunday after the guard was helped off the court following an awkward landing while fighting for a rebound in the fourth quarter of Boston’s 96-95 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers Saturday night.
Smart, who came into the game averaging 13.2 points and 6.0 assists per game — both career-highs — didn’t appear to land on anyone’s foot when he came down in front of Boston’s bench with 10:31 remaining in the fourth quarter. But, after a moment, Smart grabbed the back of his left leg and collapsed to the ground, writhing in pain.
After Boston called timeout, Smart stayed down for a bit, before eventually being helped off the court and immediately back to Boston’s locker room by two people on Boston’s staff. He put no weight at all on his left leg while being helped off.
“Yeah, everybody was concerned with his health,” Celtics star Jaylen Brown said after the game. “And he just, trying to do our best to redirect that energy, because when one guy goes down, we’ve got to step up.
“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 somebody that has been looking to get guys the ball in the right spots, including me. So to have him go down in the middle of the game like that, definitely had everybody concerned. Hopefully, the MRI is negative, and we get him and we can get some wins on the road.”
Smart has long been the glue that holds the Celtics together, a fiery presence on and off the court in addition to being one of the league’s best and most versatile defensive players. Through the first month of the season, he’s taken on a greater playmaking role than he has in previous years due to Kemba Walker and Jayson Tatum‘s early-season absences.
Boston, which has now lost two games in a row, leaves Monday for a five-game West Coast trip beginning Tuesday in San Francisco against the Golden State Warriors.