Boston Celtics star Marcus Smart couldn't hold back his frustration on Monday against the Oklahoma City Thunder, leading to his second technical foul and ejection late in the third quarter.
Making matters uglier, Smart had to be held back by Celtics interim coach Joe Mazzulla as he tried to confront referees following his technical foul. The veteran guard kept yapping at the referees while he was heading to the bench–reportedly yelling “you're fuc**ng horrible to an official– which caused his tech and ejection. Of course Smart didn't take it kindly and went into a fit of rage.
Marcus Smart gets his second tech and ejected jawing at the officials.
The Celtics are down 28 to the Thunder without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 😬pic.twitter.com/kNHDPNrTvJ
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) January 4, 2023
The Celtics were getting blown out by the Thunder at that point, so it's easy to see why Marcus Smart was frustrated. However, officiating was no way the issue for Boston, not with the Thunder being whistled for more fouls and the Celtics getting more free throws in the process.
Oklahoma City played a more balanced basketball, and the fact that the Boston franchise struggled offensively and allowed the Thunder to make 58 of their 98 shot attempts including 20-of-40 triples doomed the visitors.
Smart certainly didn't help improve things, allowing himself to get ejected instead of trying to help Boston try to stage a come back. He finished with seven points, four rebounds, eight assists and one steal but had the second-worst plus-minus on the team at -26.
The Celtics have now lost their second straight game, though they'll need Smart to control his emotions better if they want to keep the top spot in the East to themselves.
Follow Us
Subscribe