BOSTON — Perhaps to avoid talking one more time, about returning to Boston a year after the Celtics won a championship without him, Marcus Smart slipped out of the Grizzlies locker room before the media arrived.
In his first game against his former team, he shot 1-for-11 for three points, two assists and two rebounds, but Memphis withstood a late Boston rally for a 127-121 win at TD Garden.
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His former Celtics teammates said it was good to see him, but a little weird.
Payton Pritchard was glad to see the warm response from the TD Garden crown who gave him an ovation when he checked in.
“It felt good. It’s good to see him out there. We didn’t get to play against him last year,” Pritchard said. “We had a lot of good memories with Smart here, and he’s loved in Boston for a good reason. It was nice to see him out there.”
Jaylen Brown shared an embrace and chatted with Smart on the floor after the game and congratulated him on the birth of his newborn son Zayn, who was in Boston with Maisa Smart, Marcus’ wife before the game.
“It was weird. But it was great. Marcus is a family member at this point,” Brown said. “So to be able to see him, congratulating him on him starting his family, et cetera, off the court, is amazing. So all that stuff is good, but it’s definitely good to see him.”
