ATLANTA — Boston Celtic guard Marcus Smart faces possible discipline from the NBA following a third-quarter incident Saturday night that ended in his ejection.
Already angry from two quick foul calls and a subsequent technical foul for expressing himself to referee Scott Foster, Smart then got into a quarrel with DeAndre Bembry of Atlanta with 7:34 left in the third quarter as Marcus Morris and Dewayne Dedmon got ready for a jump ball.
Despite efforts to separate the two by referees and team officials, Smart lunged at Bembry before being escorted out of the gym with his second technical.
“That’s what he does – you’ve seen him do that plenty of times,” Bembry said. “Just tried to keep my cool. Just try to win the game. That was about it for me.”
Smart left without giving a comment after the game. The Celtics rallied for a 113-105 victory.
“I just think we accept Marcus for who he is in terms of being fiery and bringing that type of energy,” Kyrie Irving said. “(Stuff) happens sometimes where the game goes like that and an altercation happens, and we’ve just got to pick right back up.”
Overcoming road block
The Celtics have an 11-13 road record, worst among the top seven teams in the Eastern Conference, with Philadelphia (11-12) the only other in the group under .500.
“We’ve got to be able to respond to adverse situations. That’s the bottom line,” Coach Brad Stevens said. “That’s what we were best at last year. We came back and won a lot of games, and this year we’ve had too many big runs against us without a response.”
Hayward stays home
Gordon Hayward stayed home Saturday to be with his wife, Robin, who is close to delivery of their third daughter.
“Someone else has to fill his void, fill his role, and it’s a good opportunity for other guys,” Stevens said. “We have to decide what we’re going to do, big or small off the bench. But we’ve had guys out for these games, and it’s a good opportunity for someone else.”
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