On Tuesday night, the Boston Celtics lost to their greatest rivals, the Los Angeles Lakers. Marcus Smart had a good game, coming off the bench to contribute 22 points on an efficient 7-13 shooting. One of those six misses came with the game on the line. Lakers guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope missed a free throw and Smart came down with the rebound with 5.7 seconds left on the clock. No timeouts. Down one. He dribbled past Caldwell-Pope, and shook him slightly with a behind-the-back crossover. He gathered and fired a 3-pointer as time expired. STAPLES Center exploded as the shot rimmed out. Every player but one was moving – the Celtics trudging back to their bench, the Lakers celebrating. The one motionless player was Smart. He stood, hands on his knees, eyes fixed on the floor.
It was a devastating loss. Fans on social media attacked Smart for missing the shot or not passing the ball. Smart didn’t take it well, and the next day, it would be revealed that Smart was inactive for the Celtics’ matchup with the NBA’s other Los-Angeles-based team. He had suffered an arm injury. Soon, he revealed what happened; he struck a picture and hurt his hand/arm. Presumably he did this out of frustration.
Smart apologized to Celtics fans:
I want to take this time to express my sincerest apologies to my teammates, coaches, and most of all the amazing Boston Celtics fans. I'm embarrassed and disappointed in my actions. I swiped at and hit a picture frame on the wall. I feel like I let all y'all down
— marcus smart (@smart_MS3) January 26, 2018
I promise I will learn from this situation and come back better than ever. I love y'all and I truly appreciate all the support
— marcus smart (@smart_MS3) January 26, 2018
Smart will miss the rest of the Celtics’ road trip:
According to a source, while the #Celtics remain out west on their road trip, Marcus Smart is back in Boston. He flew home from LA this evening, with his right arm in a sling. Seemingly he’ll miss the rest of the trip.
— Adam Kaufman (@AdamMKaufman) January 26, 2018
The Celtics say that Smart will miss approximately two weeks.
