Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart isn’t one to shy away from a confrontation.
And an unlikely one at FedExForum on Monday night fueled Smart to his best performance of the season in a 109-106 win for the Celtics. Smart let his play do the talking, though, and posted his second straight double-double, totaling 15 points and 12 assists to go along with seven rebounds.
“I had a heckler on their sideline kind of going crazy,” Smart told NBC Sports Boston’s Abby Chin following the game. “It kind of gave me a little bit more motivation to come out here and just play the best basketball that I can. I was just taking the shots they were giving me, and I was taking the looks with the passes they were giving me and finding my teammates.”
It was evident the heckler fired up Smart from the outset as he had a hand in Boston’s first 16 points. He carried the momentum throughout the game by finding open teammates to come up one assist short of tying his career-high.
Smart’s passing and ball security have been pristine after not playing a majority of crunch time in the win over the Bulls last Friday — that potentially might be another source of motivation for the veteran guard. Smart has 23 assists to only three turnovers over the last two games.
“I think he’s just fitting into his role,” Celtics interim head coach Joe Mazzulla said, as seen on NBC Sports Boston postgame coverage. “We have three really, really good point guards and Smart spearheads that. … When he takes pride in taking care of the ball, he’s a playmaker. Gets the ball where it needs to go and then makes the right decision when he gets to the rim. So, he’s doing a great job the last couple of games.”
Much has been made about Smart being the team’s point guard, especially after Boston’s offense floundered in the NBA Finals this past June. Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens also said this offseason the team needed more playmaking and then went out and traded for Malcolm Brogdon.
But Smart has showed when he stays within himself, he’s a great fit to orchestrate the Celtics offense.
“I feel like he’s playing at a more controlled pace,” Al Horford told reporters, as seen on NBC Sports Boston postgame coverage. “He’s reading the game real well. That’s been huge for us him really making decisions. When he needs to be aggressive, he’s aggressive. When he needs to move the ball, he moves the it. So, finding that balance, he’s doing a good job of that.”
