Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart exited Sunday's game after taking a direct shot to the abdomen after finishing with three rebounds in 20 scoreless minutes. The defensive ace did not return to the court, but head coach Brad Stevens offered some insight on his oblique injury, one he claims is not as bad as his previous ones.
“The only thing I heard is that it was — I don’t know if it was his oblique or right in that area — and they said it wasn’t as bad as in the past, so I don’t know what that means,” Stevens told reporters on Sunday, according to Logan Mullen of NESN. “I don’t know if that means — I’m sure we’ll get more information in the next couple hours.”
Smart has been banged up this season but still has suited up to play alongside his teammates. This oblique injury, however, can force him to sit out for Wednesday's game against the Miami Heat.
“I think so. I think that might be it. That might be the final straw,” said Smart after a Celtics 113-104 win over the New York Knicks on Sunday. “We'll see how it goes.”
The Celtics have gotten much more than Smart's defensive presence this season, also benefitting from his playmaking and newfound 3-point stroke. Fortunately enough, Boston will only play two games this week, also taking on the Denver Nuggets on Friday. Smart could have five full days to heal and only miss one game, or the Celtics could take the careful approach and let him have the week to recover at the cost of missing two games this week.
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