Sunday, Feb. 4- Trail Blazers at Celtics
Pregame – Marcus Smart Reveals Details of Hand Injury
BOSTON – Marcus Smart expressed remorse Sunday morning when discussing the off-court hand injury that he suffered 11 days ago during the Boston Celtics’ West Coast road trip.
The fourth-year guard lacerated his right hand by punching a glass frame in a Los Angeles hotel some time between Boston’s matchups against the Lakers and Clippers. The action, which he claims stemmed from the frustration of missing a potential game-winner against the Lakers on Jan. 23, resulted in a deep wound near the base of his pinky that required 20 stitches. He has been sidelined ever since.
“Being a competitor, missing the last shot, you kind of get upset with yourself,” Smart explained ahead of Boston’s matchup with the Portland Trail Blazers at TD Garden. “You rethink about that night and what you could’ve done differently. You kind of replay everything in your head. As a competitor you want to make every shot, especially with the game on the line, and we fell short. So it was just a lot of frustration about my play as well.”
Smart regrets that he let his emotions get the best of him and says it’s a learning experience.
“Everybody has been in this situation where you have a relapse, and, in the blink of an eye things change, you’re upset, and you pay for it,” said Smart. “You gotta learn from it and you gotta move on.”
Smart says the skin on his hand is still healing and does not anticipate returning to the court until after the All-Star break. In the mean time, he’ll rest up so that he’s fresh for Boston’s stretch run when he returns.
- Taylor Snow