Celtics’ Marcus Smart set to return for Game 3 vs Bucks
The Celtics will be boosted by the news that one of their best players will be available once again after sustaining an injury
Marcus Smart to return for Game 3 vs Bucks
According to a team announcement, Marcus Smart will be back in the lineup when they take on the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 3 of their second-round NBA playoff series on Saturday. Indeed, Celtics coach Ime Udoka added that Smart “will not have any limitations.” The 2021-22 Defensive Player of the Year was not available for Boston’s 109-86 win in Game 2 having sustained a contusion in his quadricep. “Strong likelihood that I should be back for Game 3,” Smart had said earlier in the week, but until now nothing was certain.
Incidentally, Smart admitted that “some of the swelling has gone down,” but he is “still dealing with some.” Where his shoulder is concerned - he received a blow in Game 1 - he clarified that there is no problem “It’s just the quad, the fluid,” Smart said. Smart of course received a blow “closer to the knee area in the quad, so a lot of the fluid went to the knee.” Having undergone “treatment and exercises to do to help strengthen the quad and get the blood flowing and things like that,” over the past few days, he was happy to get up and running during Thursday’s practice session. “Felt OK,” Smart said at the time. “A little sore still. Like I said, I still have some fluid, so it’s still restricting my movement a little bit. And we just go from there. They’re doing everything they can and I’m doing everything on my part on my end to get back on the court.”
The Celtics’ Marcus Smart has had a quad problem before
It was back in January when Smart actually sat out six games due to a quad injury. “It’s literally the exact same one in the exact same spot,” he said. “It’s just re-aggravating the same injury that I’ve been dealing with. And as we all know, injuries like that, they kind of linger.” Unlucky to say the least. Understandably its been frustrating for the Celtics’ star, though he did admit that he’s been more than pleased with how the team has responded in his absence. It was “very difficult,” he said, to watch from the sideline. “I was very antsy that whole day. Couldn’t sleep. Couldn’t even take a nap.” Smart said that he is doing everything that he can to be ready to play, but he has to listen to his body. “Anybody who knows me understands that if I’m going to miss a game, especially a playoff game, something’s really gotta be wrong with me.”
How will the Celtics cope?
“We don’t even really need Marcus, honestly,” joked head coach Ime Udoka, but then went on to be clear about what Smart means to the team saying, “the impact he has on us in setting the tone on a night-to-night basis.” Udoka also added that the Celtics are fully confident in Derrick White and Payton Pritchard’s ability to cover for the sidelined Smart. As for the man himself, he could only maintain a positive attitude as he looked towards the future. “If I’m out there, I should be able to do the things that I was doing, or I shouldn’t be out there,” Smart said. “So when I come back, I’m coming back to be me. And that’s all I can really say about that. And if I’m not out there, it’s because I didn’t feel like I was 100 percent to be out there to do the things that I’m supposed to be doing.”