Marcus Smart isn’t a stranger to playing through injuries, and he tried to push through two ailments in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday.
Smart left the game in the first half due to a right shoulder stinger and a right quad contusion, but returned after halftime clearly not at 100 percent.
Following Boston’s 101-89 loss to the Bucks at TD Garden, Celtics coach Ime Udoka provided an update on Smart’s health and believed the guard’s quad injury proved to be more of hindrance than what bothered him with his shoulder.
“He took a few hits,” Udoka said, per NBC Sports Boston. “Took two in the first half and I think the quad bothered him more than the shoulder, but he’s going to play through a lot, and it could have affected him offensively getting downhill driving a little bit, but defensively as well, which he likes to climb up into guys and be more physical.
“It probably affected him some. He’s getting iced down now. I assume he’ll be OK.”
Udoka added that Smart dealt with a similar quad injury earlier in the season. Smart was clearly hobbled over the final 24 minutes of the game, as he finished with 10 points on 3-for-11 shooting to go along with six assists and two steals.
Smart won’t have long to recover before Game 2, which tips-off on Tuesday, but three days off following that contest will provide more time for Smart to heal up.
