Memphis Grizzlies point guard Marcus Smart exited Tuesday night's meeting with the Los Angeles Lakers in the first half after suffering an apparent lower-body injury.
Smart was trying to deflect a pass made by Austin Reaves when he landed on the foot of the Lakers forward. The former NBA Defensive Player of the Year was forced to leave the game shortly after with the help of the Grizzlies staff and players. It was not a great sight for Memphis fans, to say the least, especially since the team is still missing the services of suspended star Ja Morant.
Marcus Smart started at the point guard slot in the Lakers game and posted three points with a rebound, an assist, and a steal in eight minutes of action before leaving the contest.
The Grizzlies have already ruled out Smart for the rest of the night, which seems like the right thing to do for them, given the blowout nature of the game in favor of the Lakers.
The Grizzlies are not just without Morant. Derrick Rose is still sidelined on a week-to-week basis due to a knee issue and Luke Kennard is also apparently dealing with the same issue. In the event that Smart needs to miss games to recover from his injury, the Grizzlies will have more on the plates of the likes of Jacob Gilyard, John Konchar, and Desmond Bane in the Memphis backcourt.
Memphis will have three days of full rest after its date with the Lakers, and hopefully, that's enough time for Smart to heal up.