Boston Celtics lose magic touch: 3 takeaways from loss to Orlando

Status of Marcus Smart

Now, let’s get to the injuries.

Late in the second quarter, the Boston Celtics saw their second scare of the night being helped into the locker room on Sunday night.

Holding onto his left side, Marcus Smart excited the game with what was later diagnosed an oblique bruise, which takes less time to heal than if it was actually a strained oblique muscle, which was the concern once he left.

Luckily, the prognosis is better than first anticipated, but means Smart won’t see action again until Game 1 of the first-round matchup against the Pacers.

"“Marcus Smart has an oblique bruise, which means he got hit right there,” Stevens said following the game, as transcribed by the Boston Herald.  “And so, I guess that’s better than a strain or whatever, but we’ll see what that looks like tomorrow.  He was a little sore but was walking around, which was good, in the locker room.  So obviously, I’m glad we got out of there without anything else after that.”"

Before leaving the game, Marcus Smart led the team with four steals, which showed how important he is to the team on the defensive end of the court and as a vocal leader.  His hustle and intensity on both sides of the court could be the difference in the team losing or winning a playoff game or series.

It looks like Stevens and the Boston Celtics escaped one scare, which leads us to the first scare and final takeaway.