BOSTON — While Marcus Smart has played in all six of the Celtics’ games thus far playing his normal minutes, he revealed Sunday that he’s banged up.
Smart said he tweaked his oblique during the Celtics’ preseason finale against the Raptors, when the two teams met in Montreal as part of the NBA Canada Series. It was a cool idea as the league showcased the NBA to fans who normally don’t get games in-person locally.
There were some condensation issues with the court, though. Players slipped at similar spots at Montreal’s Center Bell, home of the NHL’s Canadiens. Smart was a victim of that as he said he tweaked an old injury when he slipped.
“I’m okay,” Smart said after the Celtics beat the Wizards 112-94. “I’ve been better but I’m okay. That slip and fall in (Montreal) was aggravating to the oblique and hip I tore a couple years ago, so just dealing with that. For the most part, I’m doing okay.”
Smart’s been banged up throughout his career, and he had a lingering oblique injury that affected him for months in 2019, forcing him to miss time in the playoffs.
Smart has started in all of the Celtics’ six games this season, averaging 9.5 points, 6.2 assists and 3.2 rebounds in 34.2 minutes per game. He’s struggled with his shot to start the season, but he’s still the Celtics’ emotional and defensive leader.
It appears Smart will be playing through any bumps he’s picked up earlier this season. He hasn’t appeared on the injury report ahead of any game yet and hasn’t had an injury designation. Smart said the Celtics will look to bounce back when they take on the Cavaliers next, who beat the C’s in Boston last Friday.
“We are athletes and we compete,” Smart said. “We’re competitors. I think I speak for all athletes, when somebody does come in your house and they do what they did, to have an opportunity to go back to their house and see them as quickly as we can that we are, you definitely have a more detail. -oriented focus than you had in anybody else, especially that first game.”