The Boston Celtics are playing catch-up after letting the Philadelphia 76ers swoop in and steal Game 1 from them Monday night at TD Garden.
But they might be doing so without the services of blue-collar workhorse Marcus Smart. With both teams off Tuesday before continuing their best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinal series, the Celtics announced that Smart is questionable for Game 2 due to a chest contusion.
This comes as especially daunting news, not just because the Celtics are trailing the 76ers 0-1, but because Smart came up big in crunch time, after being anchored by Jaylen Brown’s lack of offensive production — three field goal attempts in the second half with two turnovers — and Jayson Tatum’s inability to shine on the big stage.
While the Celtics fell short of the finish line, crumbling the crucial seconds of the fourth quarter in gut-wrenching fashion in Game 1, Smart had a big hand in Boston’s push toward a win. He successfully finished two 3-point opportunities, drawing a pair of fouls after cleanly netting some highly-contested layups. Then he assisted Al Horford on a big basket in the paint, putting the C’s ahead, 113-110 with 1:14 left.
Smart finished the night with 12 points, three rebounds and seven assists in 35 minutes played.
In the event that Smart is sidelined, it’ll open up the opportunity for head coach Joe Mazzulla to lean on reserve unit leader Malcolm Brogdon, who certainly has redemption on his mind after committing a costly blunder in Game 1 and noting the C’s need to “send a message” come Game 2.
