Marcus Smart Had Simple Message For Gordon Hayward After Missed Layup

Gordon Hayward had 22 points in the Celtics’ 123-119 loss to the Phoenix Suns on Saturday. But it was one play toward the end of the game that probably will stick with him for a while.

The forward missed a crucial alley-oop layup with 35 seconds left in the game that would have brought Boston within three points. Hayward was visibly upset after missing the shot, but Marcus Smart walked over to him and offered some words of encouragement and a pat on the back.

After the game, Hayward revealed the message Smart had for him.

“‘Move on. It’ s all good,'” Hayward said on NBC Sports Boston’s postgame coverage. “‘Stay with us. Stay with us.’ In the moment it’s hard to let that one go. We needed that bucket for sure.”

And here’s Smart’s account:

Those two points certainly would have made things interesting for Boston. But Smart, as well as head coach Brad Stevens, don’t seem overly concerned with Hayward’s performance. After all, he went 11-of-15 on Wednesday night against the Detroit Pistons.