It's no secret that Marcus Smart is one of the most outspoken players in the game today. This is why it comes as no surprise that the Boston Celtics star wanted to have words with Bennedict Mathurin after the former got caught with a nasty hit to the mid-section courtesy of the Indiana Pacers rookie's arm/elbow.

Smart immediately hit the deck after getting hit, and as soon as he stood up, he demanded an explanation from Mathurin:

The referee quickly intervened as he saw a seemingly irate Marcus Smart making his way to Mathurin. Other players then stepped in as they separated the two even before they got too close.

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To be fair to Marcus Smart, he did look relatively calm as he approached Mathurin. It appears that he just wanted to give the young man a bit of a warning about keeping it clean. The Celtics star's reputation preceded him, though, and everyone was quick to try and prevent a potential scuffle between Smart and Mathurin.

A lot is on the line for both teams in this one, which could explain the intense nature of the contest. The Celtics are still chasing the top spot in the East with Giannis Anteotkounmpo and the mighty Milwaukee Bucks still 2.5 games ahead of them at the moment. There's even more motivation for the Pacers, though, as they look to close the gap with the Chicago Bulls for the 10th and final Play-In spot in the conference. Entering Friday's game, Indiana is 1.5 games behind Chicago in the standings.