Marcus Smart Rusty In Return
BOSTON (CBS) -- After missing three games with a big toe injury, Marcus Smart returned to the Celtics lineup Wednesday night.
But it's clear his big toe injury is still bothering the Boston point guard, who was seen limping following the Celtics' 102-91 loss to the Indiana Pacers.
Smart, who missed three games with the injury, finished the tilt with eight points on just 1-for-6 shooting from the floor. Three of his six misses came from beyond the arc, and they weren't very close. Smart did most of his damage at the free throw line, hitting six of his eight freebies.
Overall, Smart finished a minus-20 in his 21 minutes off the bench. He said the toe tightened up on him during the game and he was icing it down as soon as he returned to the locker room. With all that said, he downplayed any concern about the ailment.
"[The toe] actually felt better than I expected out there today," he told reporters, according to ESPN's Chris Forsberg. "So just keep working with those guys and keep making progress."
The Celtics didn't want to rush Smart back from the injury, which flared up last week, but with Avery Bradley out Wednesday night head coach Brad Stevens didn't have much of a choice. Smart was on a minutes restriction Wednesday night, which will likely carry over to Friday night when the C's host the Atlanta Hawks.
In his four games played this season, Smart has averaged 11 points, three assists and two rebounds for Boston.