Grizzlies' Marcus Smart: Headed for lengthy absence
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The Grizzlies announced Friday that Smart has been diagnosed with a left foot sprain and is expected to return within 3-5 weeks.
Smart suffered his injury in Tuesday's game versus the Lakers and will be out for an extended period. With Luke Kennard (knee) also dealing with an injury, Jacob Gilyard, David Roddy, Ziaire Williams and John Konchar are all candidates to receive an expanded role in the coming weeks. Smart will likely target mid-December as a return date, but it wouldn't be surprising for him to be sidelined until the beginning of 2024.
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Grizzlies' Marcus Smart: Officially ruled out
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Smart (ankle) won't return to Tuesday's game versus the Lakers. He'll finish the game with three points (1-3 FG, 1-2 3Pt), one rebound, one assist, one steal and one block in eight minutes.
Smart sustained a left ankle injury in the first quarter, when he landed awkwardly on the foot of the Lakers' Austin Reaves. The Grizzlies initially listed Smart as doubtful to return before quickly ruling him out for the rest of the game. Though the Grizzlies will have off the next three days before returning to action Saturday against the Spurs, Smart looks like he could be at risk of missing time, given that he struggled to put weight on his foot as he exited the court. He'll likely be re-evaluated in the coming days, but if Smart is sidelined for any length of time, it would further insulate Jacob Gilyard as the Grizzlies' starting point guard while opening up more minutes on the wing for the likes of Luke Kennard, David Roddy, Ziaire Williams and John Konchar.
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Grizzlies' Marcus Smart: Unlikely to return Tuesday
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Smart suffered a left ankle injury in Tuesday's game versus the Lakers and is doubtful to return, Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com reports.
Smart left Tuesday's game with 3:35 remaining in the first quarter after landing on Austin Reaves' foot. Jacob Gilyard and Luke Kennard will likely receive extended minutes in his absence.
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Grizzlies' Marcus Smart: Solid outing in win
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Smart ended with 17 points (5-12 FG, 3-7 3Pt, 4-4 FT), three rebounds and seven assists across 36 minutes during Sunday's 105-101 win over the Clippers.
Smart continues to lead the way for the Grizzlies with Ja Morant suspended. The veteran point guard is averaging career-high marks in points (13.4) and steals (2.1) per game, but his assist and rebounding production are down compared to his last year in Boston. Smart is a reliable fantasy option, but managers shouldn't expect him to explode anytime soon.
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Grizzlies' Marcus Smart: Notches 10 points
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Smart supplied 10 points (4-9 FG, 2-5 3Pt), two rebounds, five assists and two steals across 29 minutes during Sunday's 112-100 win over the Trail Blazers.
This wasn't Smart's best performance by any means, but his production in steals has been elite so far. Through seven games, Smart is averaging 2.7 steals per contest.
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Grizzlies' Marcus Smart: Nears double-double in loss
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Smart racked up 23 points (9-17 FG, 5-10 3Pt), five rebounds, nine assists and three steals over 35 minutes before fouling out of Monday's 125-110 loss to the Mavericks.
Smart posted season-high marks in points, boards and assists in the contest while notching multiple steals for the fourth straight contest to begin the campaign. The veteran point guard unsurprisingly hasn't been able to match the scoring prowess of Ja Morant (suspension), but he's nonetheless filled in quite well for the All-Star point guard with season averages of 17.3 points, 5.8 dimes, 2.8 boards and 2.8 triples per contest. He's also leading the league with 3.0 thefts per game, and his elite steal numbers have long been a major draw for fantasy managers.
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Grizzlies' Marcus Smart: Strong numbers against Nuggets
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Smart produced 20 points (7-13 FG, 3-7 3Pt, 3-3 FT), two rebounds, five assists and five steals across 31 minutes during Friday's 108-104 loss to the Nuggets.
The veteran guard has gotten off to a quick start to his Memphis tenure, recording seven steals and five made threes in his first two games. Smart will be the key man in the Grizzlies' backcourt while Ja Morant serves the rest of his 25-game suspension, and even though he never averaged more than 12.9 points a game as a Celtic, he has a good chance to blow past that figure over the first third of the 2023-24 campaign.
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Grizzlies' Marcus Smart: Efficient night in Griz debut
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Smart had 17 points (6-11 FG, 2-6 3Pt, 3-6 FT), three assists and two steals across 32 minutes in Wednesday's 111-104 loss to the Pelicans.
Despite his efficiency from the field, Smart missed half of his free-throw attempts and had a team-high five turnovers in Wednesday's loss. He'll be tasked with bringing the ball up as the starting point guard until All-Star Ja Morant returns from his 25-game suspension, so it'll be crucial for Smart to manage his turnovers in that time. He'll look to help the Grizzlies capture their first win of the season Friday against the defending champion Nuggets.
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Grizzlies' Marcus Smart: Scores 11 with six dimes
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Smart had 11 points (4-8 FG, 1-4 3Pt, 2-2 FT), a rebound, six assists and a steal across 24 minutes in Friday's 124-116 preseason loss to the Bucks.
Smart struggled with his shot from beyond the arc, but other than that, he posted a decent stat line and orchestrated the offense with efficiency, posting a 3-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio. Smart will open the regular season as the Grizzlies' starting point guard and will hold that role as long as Ja Morant remains suspended.
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Grizzlies' Marcus Smart: Ready to roll
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Smart (abdomen) is starting Friday's preseason game against the Bucks, Damichael Cole of Memphis News reports.
Smart has been dealing with an injury for most of training camp, but it's nice to see him get the green light in the Grizzlies' preseason finale. Friday will be the first time we get to see Smart share the backcourt with Desmond Bane.
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Grizzlies' Marcus Smart: Plans to play Friday
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Smart (abdomen) plans to play in Friday's preseason finale against the Bucks, Chris Herrington of The Daily Memphian reports.
Smart has yet to play during the preseason due to a minor abdominal injury he picked up at the beginning of training camp. However, that could change Friday. If things go according to plan, Smart should be the Grizzlies' starting point guard for the regular-season opener against New Orleans on Oct. 25.
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Grizzlies' Marcus Smart: Not featured Sunday
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Smart (abdomen) didn't play in Sunday's preseason matchup against the Heat.
There was no official update on Smart's status ahead of Sunday's game, but he ultimately wasn't able to go due to lingering abdominal soreness. His next opportunity to suit up is Friday against the Bucks.
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Grizzlies' Marcus Smart: Won't play Thursday
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Smart (abdomen) is out for Thursday's preseason game against the Hawks, Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal reports.
Smart will miss his third straight preseason game due to abdominal soreness. However, the Grizzlies are still optimistic that Smart will be good to go for the regular season. The 29-year-old guard's next chance to suit up will be Sunday's preseason matchup with the Heat.
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Grizzlies' Marcus Smart: Out again Tuesday
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Smart (abdomen) won't play in Tuesday's preseason game versus the Bucks, Drew Hill of The Daily Memphian reports.
Smart will miss his second straight preseason contest due to an abdominal injury. While it doesn't appear that Smart will miss any regular-season action, his next chance to suit up is Thursday's preseason matchup with Atlanta.
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Grizzlies' Marcus Smart: Out for preseason opener
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Smart (abdomen) will not play in Sunday's preseason matchup against the Pacers, Drew Hill of The Daily Memphian reports.
Smart missed Saturday's practice due to a minor abdominal injury and will be held out of the team's first preseason contest. The injury doesn't seem to be a significant concern at this point, meaning Smart should be good to go come the regular-season opener, if not sooner.
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Grizzlies' Marcus Smart: Suffers minor injury
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Smart will miss Saturday's practice due to minor abdominal soreness, Drew Hill of the Daily Memphian reports.
While Smart is not expected to miss any regular-season action, his status for Sunday's preseason game against the Pacers is now in question. Smart is set to start at point guard for Memphis with Ja Morant (suspension) out.
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Grizzlies' Marcus Smart: Shipped to Memphis
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The Celtics are finalizing a trade that sends Smart to the Grizzlies as part of a three-team deal with Boston netting Kristaps Porzingis, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports.
Smart had spent all nine of his NBA seasons with the Celtics, scoring in double figures in each of the last four campaigns while starting in all 132 of his appearances across the last two years. In 2022-23, Smart averaged 11.5 points, 6.3 assists and 1.5 steals per regular season contest while posting 14.9 points, 5.1 assists and 4.0 rebounds per game during the Celtics' playoff run. With Tyus Jones sent to Washington as part of the deal, Smart, the 2021-22 Defensive Player of the Year is expected to slot into the Grizzlies' starting point guard spot while Ja Morant serves his 25-game suspension to begin the season. Once Morant returns, the two will likely start together in the backcourt with Desmond Bane shifting up to the nominal small forward spot.
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Celtics' Marcus Smart: Back-to-back 20-point games
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Smart closed with 21 points (7-15 FG, 4-11 3Pt, 3-4 FT), four rebounds and one assist in 42 minutes during Saturday's 104-103 victory over the Heat in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
After averaging just 9.8 points over the first four games of the series, Smart has picked up his scoring in Games 5 and 6, though at the detriment of his assist numbers. The point guard is extremely versatile, but it appears he's going to have to continue scoring in bunches, as Miami figures to focus its attention on Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown during Game 7. Across the first six matchups of the Eastern Conference Finals, Smart has averaged 13.8 points, 5.2 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 1.5 steals in 34.0 minutes per game.
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Celtics' Marcus Smart: Outsmarts Heat in victory
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Smart closed with 23 points (7-12 FG, 4-6 3Pt, 5-6 FT), three rebounds, two assists and five steals across 30 minutes during Thursday's 110-97 win over the Heat in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
Smart stepped things up in the win, putting together easily his best game of the series. With Malcolm Brogdon (elbow) playing limited minutes, both Smart and Derrick White flipped the switch, helping Boston to a comfortable victory. Brogdon's injury is something that figures to linger for quite some time, meaning Smart is going to have to keep his foot on the gas should the Celtics hope to advance to the NBA Finals for a second straight season.
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Celtics' Marcus Smart: Top distributor in double-double
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Smart produced 13 points (3-7 FG, 2-4 3Pt, 5-8 FT), one rebound, 11 assists, one block and two steals over 34 minutes during Wednesday's 123-116 loss to Miami in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
Smart dished out a game-high assist total while finishing as the lone player in Wednesday's Game 1 with a double-double. Smart, who tallied 10 of his 11 assists in the first half, surpassed the double-digit assist total for the first time this postseason while now reaching double figures in scoring in 13 of 14 playoff games.
