Marcus Smart had to be pulled away from refs after Celtics loss - Yahoo Sports

The Boston Celtics endured a devastating overtime loss to the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday night, and Marcus Smart wasn’t happy with how it went down.

Following the end of the game, Smart engaged with the referees on the court. He was speaking pretty emphatically while the refs appeared to be resolutely ignoring him, and had to be physically pulled away from them as the conversation progressed and Smart got more heated.

Marcus Smart had to be escorted off the court after having a heated conversation with the refs 😡 pic.twitter.com/63KeiFUPkG

— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) March 4, 2020

So what was that all about? It’s likely the refs’ foul call on the Celtics as time was running out in regulation. The Celtics were leading 118-115 with .2 seconds left on the clock, but Smart was called for a foul on the Nets’ Caris LeVert.

Marcus Smart with a pointless foul on LeVert to send this to OT... pic.twitter.com/AIBNeb3jQe

— Tony Clements (@TonyClementsTC) March 4, 2020

LeVert had three free throws in front of him. If he missed even one, the game was almost certainly going to be over and the Celtics would win. Instead, LeVert drained all three free throws. The game was tied at 118 and went to overtime. The Celtics never led in overtime, and didn’t even make their first shot until it was halfway over. The Nets won 129-120.

It’s possible that Smart could be suspended for advancing on the refs, which would be tremendously bad for the Celtics. Gordon Hayward and Jaylen Brown both left Tuesday night’s game with injuries, and Jayson Tatum missed the game due to illness. Kemba Walker’s knee soreness has required him to sit out occasionally to manage it. The Celtics are playing hurt, and they can’t afford to lose Smart on top of everything else.

More from Yahoo Sports:

• Wetzel: If Durant is ready for Olympics this summer, he should play

• Brown: Injuries to Yankees, Red Sox have AL East rival confident 

• LeVert scores 51 points, including all 11 in OT, as Nets stun Celtics 

• Robinson: Why elite players should skip the NFL scouting combine

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https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiZ2h0dHBzOi8vc3BvcnRzLnlhaG9vLmNvbS9tYXJjdXMtc21hcnQtaGFkLXRvLWJlLXB1bGxlZC1hd2F5LWZyb20tcmVmcy1hZnRlci1jZWx0aWNzLWxvc3MtMTYzNjI0Mjc5Lmh0bWzSAW9odHRwczovL3Nwb3J0cy55YWhvby5jb20vYW1waHRtbC9tYXJjdXMtc21hcnQtaGFkLXRvLWJlLXB1bGxlZC1hd2F5LWZyb20tcmVmcy1hZnRlci1jZWx0aWNzLWxvc3MtMTYzNjI0Mjc5Lmh0bWw?oc=5

2020-03-04 16:36:00Z
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