Another huge game from Marcus Smart


Despite the Celtics' loss to the Pistons last night, one positive is that Marcus Smart's shooting was spot-on for the second game in a row. He notched 23 points on 8/13 from the field and six-of-nine on threes. He also had six assists and three rebounds. Here are Al Horford's thoughts on Smart's performance (per the Boston Herald's Mark Murphy):

It’s great to see Marcus having that rhythm again. He stuck with it. He’s been working all offseason on his shot. He’s been through some struggles but he stayed with it. Against Indiana I felt like he broke through and tonight he had another great game, and defensively he was great as well.

As in the game against the Pacers, three of Marcus' baskets were assisted by Al Horford (two) and Daniel Theis (one). Two great shooting games in a row is far from a streak, but it is encouraging. In his last two games, Smart is averaging 19 points, 71.4% from the field and 63.6% from the arc.




Once again, we are only talking two games here. Smart's shooting percentages over the two games are unsustainable, as were his awful numbers prior to this mini-streak. He has to hit a happy medium at some point this season, and when he does he will be a potent weapon off the bench for Boston. This blue-collar guy brings his lunch pail every day and works hit butt off to excel. As I have written before, Marcus needs to see more time on the floor with Horford. They work well together, both on and off the parquet.

Follow Tom at @TomLaneHC

Photo via Maddie Meyer/Getty Images

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