Miami Heat point guard Goran Dragic has been one of the hottest players in the 2020 playoffs, but Marcus Smart and the Boston Celtics held him to just 11 points in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
Dragic only shot 2-of-10 from the field and 1-of-5 from beyond the arc in the Celtics' 11-point win. This came after Dragic totaled 54 points in Games 1 and 2. For Boston to come back and win this series against the Heat, Smart and Co. will have to continue to limit Dragic's numbers on offense.
During his conference call with reporters on Monday, Smart talked about how the Celtics shut down Dragic in Game 3:
“He's a great player,” Marcus Smart said about Goran Dragic, via NBA insider Keith Smith.
“He understands angles. You can't let him be comfortable. In Games 1 and 2 he was very comfortable. We tried to make him uncomfortable right from the start in Game 3.”
Dragic is averaging 21.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game for the Heat in the 2020 playoffs against the Indiana Pacers, Milwaukee Bucks and Celtics. Odds are he'll shoot the ball better in Game 4 since he rarely has two bad games in a row, so the Celtics have to be mindful of an aggressive Dragic coming out in Game 4.
For the Celtics, Smart is putting up 14.6 points, 5.1 boards and 4.1 assists per game in this year's postseason at Walt Disney World. The heart and soul of Boston is also shooting 35.1 percent from beyond the arc while delivering his typical stout defense. While Smart and the Celtics recently had some drama after Game 2, they appear to be totally over that.
Game 4 of the Celtics-Heat series is set for Wednesday.
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