Marcus Smart Dealing With Tailbone Soreness
Marcus Smart suffered what looked to be a bad fall after going up for a rebound late in the fourth quarter of the Celtics’ 130-122 loss to the Hawks in Game 3 of their first-round matchup. When Smart came down, he immediately fell on his back and grimaced briefly before getting back up and continuing the game.
Uncertainty Regarding Game 4 Status
Marcus Smart admitted today that his tailbone area is still sore (same spot he dealt with during the regular season), and he is unsure if he will play on Sunday. However, Smart appeared a little more upbeat when speaking to reporters on Saturday about the injury.
“I’m OK, relatively speaking; a little bit sore today. We’ll see how I feel tomorrow. Not really sure where we’re at right now with playing, but we’ll see.”
Smart had his best performance—at least offensively—in Game 3 on Friday. He finished with 24 points on 9 of 19 shooting and 5 of 12 three-point attempts. He also had eight assists and three steals.
Celtics Have Necessary Depth
The good news for the C’s is the backcourt is where they have the most depth, even though Boston might be without its defensive leader for Game 4. If Smart cannot play on Sunday, they can rest easy knowing they can rely on Derrick White and Malcolm Brogdon, who was just recently crowned Sixth Man of the Year. Not bad fill-ins if you ask me.
Remaining Series Schedule
(Celtics lead series, 2-1)
Game 1: Celtics 112, Hawks 99
Game 2: Celtics 119, Hawks 106
Game 3: Celtics 122, Hawks 130
Game 4: Sunday, April 23, Celtics at Hawks, State Farm Arena, 7 p.m. EST, TNT
Game 5: Tuesday, April 25, Hawks at Celtics, TD Garden (7:30 p.m. EST, channel TBA)*
Game 6: Thursday, April 27, Celtics at Hawks, State Farm Arena (Time, channel TBA)*
Game 7: Saturday, April 29, Hawks at Celtics, TD Garden (Time, channel TBA)*
