SAN FRANCISCO – Marcus Smart has returned to Boston for additional testing on his right hand after cutting it shortly before the Celtics' 113-102 victory over the Clippers in Los Angeles on Wednesday, according to a team source.
Adam Kaufman of WBZ Radio first reported Smart's return.
The injury kept Smart out of the Clippers game and is expected to keep the 6-foot-4 guard out for the remainder of the team’s West Coast trip with games at the Golden State Warriors on Saturday and the Denver Nuggets on Monday.
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There is still an element of mystery surrounding the injury to Smart's shooting hand, which according to coach Brad Stevens, happened at the team hotel in L.A. and involved Smart cutting his hand on glass.
On Wednesday when telling the media Smart wouldn't play, Stevens said, “I don’t know the full story. It doesn’t sound like a long-term injury. We’re doing more research on how it happened.”
On Tuesday night in L.A. against the Lakers, Smart missed a last-second shot that would have given the Celtics a victory in a 108-107 loss.
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Without Smart, the Celtics will lean significantly more on guards Terry Rozier and Shane Larkin off the bench, in addition to Abdel Nader and Jarell Eddie also potentially seeing spot duty.