WATCH: Marcus Smart returns to court after gruesome ankle injury, drains 3-pointer
Boston Celtics star and NBA Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart left Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals with an ankle injury — but only for a moment.
Smart went for a rebound early in the second half and landed awkwardly around Kyle Lowry, rolling his ankle as Lowry rolled on top of his ankle too. Smart immediately began screaming in pain on the court, eventually leaving with the help of medical staff and appearing to put some weight on his foot as they headed to the locker room.
Less than a few minutes of game time after leaving the game, Smart was shown on the arena’s screens jogging in the tunnels as he prepared to come back onto the court. His injury was ruled an ankle sprain, but only served to scare the Boston crowd as he came back to a standing ovation and drained a three-point shot to pull Boston to within 10 points of Miami.
The amazing sequence of events brought back memories for fans of Paul Pierce’s famous return to the playoffs after being taken off the court in a wheelchair. The Celtics won Game 2 on the road to steal away home court advantage, and behind a heroic return from Smart will look to preserve their own advantage after a slow start to Game 3. Miami finished the first quarter with a 39-18 lead.
By the end of the third quarter, Boston had cut the lead down to 15 points — having cut it to just nine points at one point prior. Smart had 12 points and four rebounds entering the fourth quarter himself. Miami’s Jimmy Butler was ruled out of the game for the second half with knee inflammation, having only scored eight points on the night. With both teams battling injuries, the first three games of the series have delivered on the hype so far for the Eastern Conference Finals.