ATLANTA, GA — After hurting his back in Game 3 of the Celtics’ best-of-7 series against the Atlanta Hawks, Celtics point guard Marcus Smart is unsure of his status for Game 4 on Sunday.
Smart took a hard fall on his back while fighting for a rebound in the fourth quarter of the Celtics’ 130-122 Game 3 loss at State Farm Arena Friday night. He spoke briefly during his media availability at the team’s hotel on Saturday.
“I’m a little sore, obviously. Rewatching the play, I took a hard fall. I didn’t realize how high I was,” Smart said. “But I’m OK, relatively speaking. A little sore today. We’ll see how I feel tomorrow. Not really sure where we’re at with playing, but we’ll see.”
Smart, who finished with 24 points, eight assists, and three steals in Friday’s loss, is having a productive first-round series thus far. Averaging 16.3 points, 7.0 assists, 5.0 rebounds, and 3.0 steals per game, Marcus has been stuffing the stat sheet and is a catalyst in containing the Hawks’ backcourt scoring duo Trae Young and Dejounte Murray.
Given how explosive Young (32) and Murray (25) were offensively in Game 3, where they combined for 57 points on 23-of-43 attempts, filling the potential void left in Smart’s absence would be an intriguing, early postseason challenge for Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla. However, as the Celtics hope to avoid the thought of heading back to Boston with the series in a 2-2 tie, Smart is surprised his back isn’t in worse shape.
“Nothing crazy, but it’s a recurring injury as well,” Smart added. “So, little scar tissue built up, so you definitely feel it. But, for the most part, I’m OK. It’s better than I expected it to be this morning. So, that’s a good sign.”
After rewatching Game 3, coach Mazzulla had plenty of takeaways for his team, including telling center Robert Williams III to relay the following message, “Get an (expletive) rebound,” among other things the Celtics can clean up on Sunday.
“Can’t really blame it on anything — us rebounding — it’s all effort, all physicality,” Williams said Saturday. “50/50 balls, you know? We’re just looking to step it up.”
The Hawks out-rebounded the Celtics by 19 (48-29) in Game 3. Jumpstarting Atlanta’s fast break, outlet passes led to easy looks, especially in the fourth quarter for the Hawks — where Young and Murray were explosive down the stretch to help seal the Hawks’ win and pull Atlanta to within 2-1 in its best-of-7 series.
“I just thought they made big shots,” Mazzulla said during the Celtics’ media availability on Saturday. “They’re a dynamic team, so when you get into a close game against them, there’s a lot that you feel that you’re trying to take away, but you’re not going to take away everything. So, I thought they hit big-time shots; the 3 in the corner on Al was a big shot.
“The Murray 3 on Derrick was a big shot, going under Murray, stopping behind, shooting on the pick-and-roll; so, I thought their players made big shots down the stretch.”
Matchups help in scheming for rebounding, according to Mazzulla, but for most teams, including the Celtics, there are a lot of possessions where all five players can help in corralling boards. It’s a commitment, according to the Celtics’ head coach, and one Boston will have to fight for with or without Smart in Game 4, Sunday night.
