Hours after Al Horford cleared the NBA’s Covid-19 protocols, the Celtics added more reinforcements.
Marcus Smart, the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year, will be back on the floor Thursday for Boston’s pivotal Game 2 matchup with the Miami Heat.
The guard’s presence on the defensive end of the floor will be especially crucial to Boston’s chances of evening the series. Payton Pritchard, playing elevated minutes as the team’s backup PG, was targeted 16 times in the pick-and-roll by Miami during the Heat’s 118-107 victory on Tuesday.
The Celtics will hope to knot the series at a game apiece when the two teams tip-off Game 2 at 8:30 p.m.