After sitting in the driver’s seat through the first two games, the Boston Celtics fell to the Atlanta Hawks 130-122 in Game 3 on the road at State Farm Arena. While Boston was shooting well from behind the arc, they failed to respond to Atlanta on the board and the Hawks’ transitional offense. The Celtics lost 48-29, and beat them 54-40 after tying or leading in paint points in their first two games.
“We knew it wasn’t going to be easy,” Marcus Smart said in his post-match press conference. If anything, Game 3 was more about the Falcons than it was about the Celtics. Atlanta leaned heavily on its rebounding and plating presence, with the vast majority of its points coming. Boston shot 43.8% from beyond the arc, but on nearly 50 attempts (21 of 48 from three), it was their highest total this series. While it was a disappointing loss, it felt like Atlanta were making a home yard stand. Smart cited rebounds as a major problem for Boston, as it led to many second-chance buckets for the Falcons (which outscored Boston 23-9).
“There is nothing tactical about this,” said Smart on the Hawks who won the battle of the boards. “It’s just a matter of will. And they wanted it more tonight. They go every night. We should be able to stop that. Like I said, they get a second chance, and it feels good.”
Conversations and chatter about the sweep ultimately fell flat, but the messages inside the locker room remained firm and consistent: Take care of business and don’t underestimate your opponent. Boston will have a chance to answer Sunday at 7 p.m. EST in Atlanta, where they’ll likely go 3-1…or, the Hawks tie the series at two apiece.
Later in the match, Marcus Smart went up to attempt a rebound, took some friction in the air, and landed hard directly on his tailbone. While he ended up playing the rest of the match, it still bothered him a lot after the final whistle.
“Sore,” Smart said when NBC Sport’s Abby Chen asked him how his tailbone was feeling. “It hurts. In the same place as last time, (the fall) surprised me. We’ll see how you feel in the morning.” With his physique and playing style, these types of injuries have become commonplace for Boston’s longest-serving players and down-to-earth pitcher on both sides of the ball.
Marcus Smart on the tailbone: “To be honest, it’s better than I expected.”
– Switchichi Terada | SouichiTerada April 22, 2023
His absence will be hard to get over, especially if Trae Young and Dejounte Murray start to find their bearings. Boston found themselves in nasty trouble against Atlanta in Game 3, as Jaylen Brown and Derrick White both whistled left and right. If the Celtics are trying to maintain the lead in the series, Smart is absolutely essential. As of Saturday evening, Smart is listed as suspect in Sunday Game 4, after an update was provided on Saturday afternoon while media was available.
“Upon re-watching the play, I had a hard fall. I didn’t realize how high I was,” Smart said, “but I’m relatively fine. A little sore today, but we’ll see how I feel tomorrow. I’m not really sure where we play, but we’ll see.”
On what the treatment plan is, Smart said, “It’s soft tissue, so just trying to control the muscle spasms, and you really don’t want to do too much because of the trauma that’s already there. Just let it heal on its own now.” Smart has explained that he had the same injury before, so he still has some scar tissue left that has festered.
“For the most part, I’m fine,” Smart said. “It’s better than I expected it to be this morning, so that’s a good sign.” Getting his fair share of bumps and bruises all season running from the factory at this point for Smart, and out of a broken bone or something that would seriously impede his mobility, I expect to see him on Sunday.
As of now, the Philadelphia Seventy Sixers swept Brooklyn Networks After winning Game 4 on Saturday 96-88; Sixers star and MVP candidate Joel Embiid has not played because he has a knee injury. With Philly waiting in the wings, the sooner the Celtics close out this series against the Hawks, the better.