Celtics’ Marcus Smart almost didn’t play Monday vs. Hornets, then ‘he won that game for us’

Charlotte Hornets guard Ish Smith, left, is guarded by Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart, right, during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Charlotte, N.C., Monday, Oct. 25, 2021. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman)
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It was a day-long process of grinding through some ailments, and right before tipoff, Marcus Smart warned the Celtics brass: “Just be ready if I can’t go.”

Smart said he felt awful in the morning with a migraine coupled with body aches. His body felt weak, he said, and he threw up once he woke up. The team wanted to put him as questionable for the game, but Smart said he wanted to monitor his condition as he started to feel better throughout the day.

But still, his vision was blurry, his stomach hurt and “my whole head was really still spinning.” Even as he played on Monday, he was getting as much fluids as he could.

The box score says Smart’s influence was muted; his teammates and coach said his defensive effort was crucial. The Celtics beat the Hornets 140-129 in overtime Monday at Spectrum Center, finishing the game on an impressive 14-0 run. And Smart was there during some of the most crucial defensive moments of the night.

“Just pure will and determination,” Smart said of his night. “When I was younger, I would always be told, ‘If you’re going to get out there and play, you can’t go out there and make excuses.’ You gotta go out there and do it. I chose to play instead of sitting out. It wasn’t pretty, but not every game is going to be pretty. You gotta go find a way.”

Monday was arguably the quintessential Smart experience. The shooting numbers weren’t pretty: 3-for-12 from the field, 1-for-8 on 3-pointers. The counting numbers were slightly better at seven points, five assists, four rebounds and three steals in 38 minutes.

But it was the defensive impact that impressed C’s coach Ime Udoka the most. When the Hornets had a chance to win the game in regulation with the last shot, it was Smart who came up with the big defensive play. LaMelo Ball was supposed to get the inbounds pass from Gordon Hayward, but Smart got his hand on the ball to ultimately give the C’s possession.

While Jayson Tatum scored 41 points and Jaylen Brown had 30, Udoka said that wasn’t the most impressive part of the night for him — it was Smart. Brown agreed with his coach, adding Smart “may not get credit for having a great game, but, defensively, he won that game for us.”

“That’s what he’s always been about,” Udoka said of Smart. It’s not always something that shows up on the stat sheet. ... He does all the little things, switching onto LaMelo and guarding some of those guys well. He does so much that doesn’t show up in the box score, but we know the toughness and heart and soul of our team comes from him.”

Smart said the comeback victory showed the team’s growth — especially when compared to last year. He said “nine times out of 10,” they likely lost that game last year. The more common theme would likely be a furious Celtics comeback near the end, only to run out of time.

But the C’s persevered, overcoming a double-digit deficit in the middle of the fourth quarter. They leaned on Tatum and Brown heavily to spur the comeback attempt with the heavy assist from Smart making big plays. Smart did hit a huge 3-pointer late as the Hornets and Celtics traded buckets near the end of regulation.

After dropping their first two games of the season, the Celtics swept their two-game road trip over the Rockets and Hornets. The Celtics can look to getting a winning record as they host the Wizards at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at TD Garden.

“We got great guys, great characters here,” Smart said. “Everybody is competitive and everybody wants to win. Everybody is willing to be coached, everybody wants to learn. When you have a team like that, it’s easier for Ime to come in and coach us and for us to change things on the fly and do things that we were never used to doing in the past.”

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