BOSTON — Marcus Smart had a premature exit while the Boston Celtics made easy work of the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday night.
In the third quarter and already having been assessed a technical foul, Smart was issued a second tech for getting chatty with an official on the floor, which earned him an ejection with 1:14 left in the frame. His first tech, which came for the exact same reason, was issued nearly two minutes before his second.
Smart finished the night scoring 13 points with three rebounds and four assists through 28 minutes played before hitting the showers.
Following the 137-93 Celtics win, NBA crew chief John Goble cleared the air on the reasoning behind Smart’s ejection.
“Marcus Smart was assessed a second technical foul for using derogatory language directed at a game official,” Gobles said, according to a pool report from the NBA.
Smart’s ejection served as his second this month, dating back to his physical alteration with Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young, which also nailed Smart a $35,000 fine from the league.
Meanwhile, Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla, unaware of the ejection’s motive, emphasized his faith in the veteran guard.
“Smart’s fine,” Mazzulla said. “I didn’t get an explanation as to exactly what happened. But I trust Smart in that situation that he’ll be communicative. But Smart’s fine. He’s always done a good job. … It’s just the way he is. He’s a competitive guy, he’s fiery.”
Smart and the Celtics return to action in search of a fourth consecutive victory Tuesday night against the Washington Wizards. Tipoff from Capital One Arena is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET.
