Marcus Smart sat in the driver's seat for the Memphis Grizzlies during their Tuesday night battle against the Dallas Mavericks, and it paid off.
Amid what's been a chaotic season on a downward spiral, Smart saw no reason to give anything less than 100 percent. That was Smart's brand during his nine-year run with the Celtics, in which the three-time NBA All-Defensive First-Team guard left it all on the line, whether it was Opening Night or Game 6 of the NBA Finals.
That hasn't changed, and with Memphis taking the floor without Ja Morant -- who suffered a season-ending shoulder injury -- and Jarren Jackson Jr., Smart jumped at the opportunity to play leader.
Smart dropped 23 points on 9-of-16 shooting with four rebounds and two steals. The 29-year-old also drained 4-of-8 outside shot attempts, including one with a dislocated finger that prematurely ended Smart's night.
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Brought in to fulfill a lead-by-example veteran's role from Boston this offseason, Smart has been just that recently. He's averaged 25.6 points, shooting over 45% from the field in Memphis' last three games -- each playing huge in a Grizzlies victory.
"That's a winner right here," Memphis teammate Desmond Bane said of Smart, per NBA TV's postgame coverage. "Ain't no reason why we start winning once he came back in the lineup. ... We needed a void filled and he's came in here and he's brought that to our team."
The Grizzlies still have their work cut out for them moving forward, however.
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Memphis sits 13th in the Western Conference, now 14-23 with the win, in desperate need of improving its atrocious 3-13 record at home.
Featured image via Jerome Miron/USA TODAY Sports Images
