Marcus Smart avoids catastrophic moment in Boston Celtics win

A six-game road trip finally came to a close on Tuesday night for the Boston Celtics — with the Cs playing their second straight game at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, defeating the Lakers 122-118 in overtime.

From a neutral perspective, this was probably one of the most exciting games of the season. Boston held a 20-point-lead over LA during the third quarter, then the Lakers ripped off a 40-9 run to go up 105-93 with 4:38 left in the fourth, then the Celtics finished regulation with a 17-5 run to force overtime.

Thankfully, the team with the NBA’s best record, buckled down and got their first overtime win of the season. The game truly had everything and was certainly a thrilling watch for neutral fans.

For fans that had any sort of stake in the game, it was a gut wrenching experience. Watching the momentum shift that drastically that many times during a rivalry game will make you sick as a fan, or even as a player.

A near disaster for Boston Celtics’ Marcus Smart

As the Boston Celtics avoided a catastrophic meltdown against the Lakers, starting point guard Marcus Smart avoided a catastrophe of his own. Smart disappeared from the floor and headed back to the locker room late in Tuesday’s win. The 28-year-old was asked about the reason for his brief exit and explained that he was a bit under the weather, saying:

"“I actually had to vomit so I didn’t want to ruin the floor at Crypto, so I got my butt in the back.”"

In all seriousness, it’s pretty remarkable that Smart was able to battle off the sickness and play a key part in Boston’s late surge. Last season’s NBA Defensive Player of the Year had a key steal and score to bring the Celtics back to within eight with just over three minutes left in regulation.

Just minutes later, Smart drilled a massive three to cut the Laker lead to just two as the seconds ticked away.

Smart finished the game with a total of 18 points, accompanied by six assists and five rebounds. He’ll now have plenty of time to cool off and beat the stomach bug as the Celtics head back to Boston ahead of Friday’s matchup against the Orlando Magic.