Robb: Despite ugly numbers, Marcus Smart keeps making winning plays for Celtics

Looking at the box score after Wednesday’s game, it would be easy to assume that Marcus Smart had a bad night during the Celtics’ 102-91 win over the Hornets. The guard started and played 35 minutes in place of an injured Jaylen Brown and posted a lackluster five points on 2-of-9 shooting with five rebounds and two assists.

Meanwhile, Terry Rozier and Shane Larkin were having two of the best games of their respective seasons, delivering strong contributions on both ends. The trio of Smart, Rozier and Larkin played together for much of the fourth quarter as Kyrie Irving rested, but the head coach had to make a decision once the All-Star guard was ready to come back to the game with five minutes remaining. Which one of his bench guards would sit for Irving?

Brad Stevens stuck with Smart despite his rough shooting night, and a statement from earlier this season helps explain why.

“Marcus is an incredible competitor,” said Stevens. “He’s a guy that figures out ways to win — sometimes that you can look at conventionally and other times not. There’s a reason he’s in the game when the game is on the line.”

Smart lived up to that lofty praise on Wednesday night during crunch time. The 23-year-old took no shots in the fourth quarter but was as big of a contributor to the win as anybody on the roster. Let’s take a look at some of his winning plays, many of which won’t show up in the box score.

Celtics lead 91-86 -- 3:46 left in fourth quarter

After a block by Al Horford on Kemba Walker, Smart alertly corralled the loose ball away from Walker and made a pinpoint full-court pass to a streaking Jayson Tatum, all in one motion.



There were a lot of impressive parts of this play from a Celtics perspective. Larkin wisely boxed out Dwight Howard so he couldn’t get the putback after Walker’s blocked shot. Tatum showed great awareness getting ahead of the pack while his man was in the corner. However, Smart’s savvy was on display here. He caught Tatum out of the corner of his eye quickly and hit the forward in stride before the window of opportunity shrunk. If that pass were off at all, it could have been a steal or a wasted opportunity (if the Hornets had enough time to get back). Smart ensured it was an easy two for the Cs. Tatum got the glory, but Smart made it happen.

Celtics lead 93-88 -- 2:45 remaining

The Hornets trapped Irving hard out of the pick-and-roll on the next offensive possession for the C’s. The point guard dished to Horford at the top of the key and the big man felt heavy pressure from Nicolas Batum so he created some separation with the drive. He eventually got all the way to the rim for a right-handed layup. How did he maintain that opening? Notice Smart boxing out Howard in the paint during Horford’s drive to delay the contest by the center.



Smart won’t get any credit for that in the box score, but it was his positioning that turned that drive into a layup for Horford, rather than a blocked shot by Howard.

2:34 remaining -- Celtics lead 95-88

On the very next possession, Smart showed all the tools within his defensive toolbox in the span of about 10 seconds.



The point guard first gave help on the pick-and-roll by Kemba Walker at the top of the key, which made Walker dish the ball to Smart’s man on the wing (Batum). Smart recovered on Batum, who went away from a pick and drove to the left. Smart closed quickly and made a strong contest as Batum jumped with nowhere to go. The attempted shot turned into an ill-advised pass and Tatum scooped up the steal. Once again, Smart’s contributions don’t translate to the box score, but his pressure forced the miscue.

1:57 remaining -- Celtics lead 95-88

After both teams went empty on a couple possessions, the Celtics attempted to close the door on the Hornets in this spot with a bucket. Tatum gets a wide-open 3 from the wing, which he bricked, but look who crashed from the weak side for an offensive rebound.



Smart’s hard run against some flat-footed Hornets (looks like the Celtics last game) opened the door for Horford to grab the rebound. The Celtics burned another 20 seconds on the possessions before Tatum drew a shooting foul on Howard.

Sequences like these are exactly why Stevens is willing to put up with 33 percent shooting from the field from the point guard. Smart was only credited with one assist in these four plays, and his overall box score line from the fourth quarter (0 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist) looks quite uninspiring. The 23-year-old made winning plays though and helped ensure the Celtics wouldn’t collapse down the stretch for the second straight game.

With a big contract decision looming on the 6-foot-4 guard at the end of the season (he’ll be a restricted free agent), games like this make it hard for the league to put an accurate price tag on Smart’s contributions. If the Celtics want to keep him on a reasonable contract, Danny Ainge will have to hope the rest of the league pays more attention to the box score on Wednesday night than his play in the final five minutes of the win.