NEW YORK — Boston’s Marcus Smart is the first guard in over a quarter-century to win the NBA defensive player of the year award.
NBA officials announced the award on Monday. The last guard to win this honor was Seattle’s Gary Payton in 1995-96.
Smart helped the Celtics lead the NBA in defensive rating and scoring defense (104.6) while holding opponents to a league-low field-goal percentage (.434) and 3-point percentage (.339). The 28-year-old ranked seventh in the NBA in steals per game (1.68) and tied for sixth in total steals (119).
Smart received 257 total points and earned 37 first-place votes from a panel of 100 sportswriters and broadcasters. Phoenix Suns forward Mikal Bridges finished second with 202 points and 22 first-place votes.
“First off, definitely want to thank you guys, man, my coaching staff and teammates,” Smart said in a video posted by the Celtics on Twitter. “It’s not easy playing in this league full of guys like Jayson (Tatum) and Jaylen (Brown), who scores the ball the way they do, and getting the recognition on the defensive end and trying to guard these guys every night. This is eight years, man, I just try to do what I do. You guys have allowed me to do that.”
Payton joined in to celebrate Smart’s award alongside his Celtics teammates. He had a few words for his successor, including a screenshot of one of Smart’s tweets from earlier this season. In it, Smart joked only guards with the initials “GP” were allowed to win the award. But Smart himself proved that wrong Monday.
“You a guy that I think reminds me of myself,” Payton said in the video. “Everybody asks me about it all the time, and it’ll be you. You play that D the way that you’re supposed to. Playing with a chip on your shoulder and some heart.”
Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert, who had won the award in 2018, 2019 and 2021, finished third with 136 points and 12 first-place votes.
Smart, who started each of the 71 regular-season games he played, tied for fourth in loose balls recovered (75) and tied for 10th in deflections (106) and charges drawn (16). He had a career-high 3.2 defensive rebounds per game.
Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo won defensive player of the year in 2020.
Players received five points for each first-place vote, three for each second-place vote and one for each third-place vote.
MAVERICKS: Luka Doncic is again out for Dallas in Game 2 of its playoff series against the Utah Jazz, even though Coach Jason Kidd said the young superstar guard is continuing to make progress in his recovery from a strained left calf.
Monday’s Game 2 comes eight days after Doncic got hurt in the regular-season finale. The Mavericks lost 99-93 in Game 1 against the Jazz on Saturday. Game 3 in the best-of-seven series is Thursday night in Utah.
Doncic has resumed individual shooting, and even swished a half-court shot during the team’s walkthrough Monday morning.
MONDAY’S GAMES
76ERS 112, RAPTORS 97: Joel Embiid took his lumps and powered his way to 31 points and 11 rebounds, Tyrese Maxey showed he was no one-game postseason wonder and Philadelphia beat visiting Toronto for a 2-0 lead in the first-round series.
Maxey had 23 points, nine rebounds and eight assists. Tobias Harris had 20 points and 10 rebounds. James Harden scored 14.
Game 3 in the Eastern Conference series is Wednesday in Toronto.
The Raptors trailed by 27 points but showed some life in the fourth cutting it to 11 until Maxey, the Game 1 star, buried a 3 that got the Sixers rolling again.
OG Anunoby led the Raptors with 26 points. Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet each had 20.
• Toronto rookie forward Scottie Barnes was ruled out for Monday night’s because of an ankle injury, Coach Nick Nurse said.
Barnes sprained his left ankle after 76ers center Joel Embiid stepped on his foot late in Sunday’s series-opening loss. Barnes, a finalist for Rookie of the Year, averaged 15.3 points in 74 games.
Barnes said at shootaround he was “getting better each and every day.” Barnes did not reveal a timetable for his return.
Game 3 is Wednesday in Toronto.
MAVERICKS 110, JAZZ 104: Jalen Brunson scored a career-high 41 points, Maxi Kleber had 25 with eight of Dallas’ playoff-record 22 made 3-points and the Mavericks, without superstar Luka Doncic, evened up their first-round series with a home win over Utah in Game 2.
The Mavericks, in danger of dropping the first two games after opening the playoffs with home-court advantage for the first time since their NBA title 11 years ago, overcame a 10-point deficit after halftime.
Game 3 is Thursday night in Utah, where Dallas has lost its last 11 games.
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