The Boston Celtics are off to a hot start in their Eastern Conference semifinals matchup against the Toronto Raptors, having seized a commanding 2-0 series lead behind a 102-99 win in Game 2 on Tuesday night in Orlando. Jayson Tatum was the high scorer with 34 points on the night, but it was Marcus Smart who made his imprint on Tuesday.
Smart was everywhere in Game 2, but it was his five three-pointers in the fourth quarter that helped seal the victory and put the Raptors in an 0-2 hole. Smart’s long-range shooting has improved significantly the past two seasons after posting middling numbers from the behind the arc earlier in his career.
But with Smart, you always have to take the yin with the yang, as he committed five turnovers against Toronto and has also retroactively received a very rare $5,000 fine from the league, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, for flopping on a play late in the third quarter as the Raptors ran the fast break.
NBA is fining Boston’s Marcus Smart $5K for flopping in Game 2 victory over Toronto, source tells ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) September 2, 2020
Duuuuuude pic.twitter.com/2mGUGtTC2L
— Leigh Ellis (@LeighEllis) September 1, 2020
The referees initially called an offensive foul on Siakam, but eventually overturned it after a coach’s challenge. The last player to get fined for flopping by the league was Patrick Beverley back in November of last year. This is also the first time a player has been hit with a flopping fine in the playoffs since 2016. That player? Marcus Smart.