Marcus Smart reveals gruesome finger injury in win over Mavericks

After dealing with what seemed like a revolving door of injuries this season, c Los Angeles Lakers they’ve had a relatively clean slate of health lately, with only Austin Reaves and rookie Adou Tierra currently sidelined. And in case Reaves, he’s making progress toward a return soon. The Lakers could take a break from the myriad of injury problems they’ve been dealing with, so maybe that’s why Marcus Smart he felt compelled to just keep playing despite the finger problem.

After the Lakers’ win against the Mavericks, Marcus Smart revealed that he was suffering finger injury in the fourth quarter, and he just snapped the finger back into place and kept playing, according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.

“My finger popped out again, so I had to put it back,” Smart exclaimed. “I just put it back . . . it was the one I had surgically, so it was a little scary, but I’ll be fine.”

As he has done all season, Smart was grabbing his hands in the passing lane and getting a deflection when his finger popped out of place. It was a play where he anticipated Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg’s pass in transition and made one of the biggest plays of the game.

“I just trust my instincts. I trust my instincts, I trust my work and my athleticism,” Smart said. “Sometimes I think my athleticism is underrated because I don’t use it as much on certain plays, but that works to my advantage.”

In the victory, Smart finished with 13 points, seven rebounds, three assists and two blocks in just over 32 minutes. He shot 4 of 10 from the field and 2 of 4 from the 3-point line. Ever since Reaves was sidelined with a calf injury, Smart has been one of the Lakers’ starting point guards.

Entering Saturday’s game, he had appeared in 34 games, including 27 starts, logging just over 28 minutes per game. He averaged 10.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.4 steals while shooting 40.7 percent from the field, 32.4 percent from the 3-point line and 88.6 percent from the free throw line.

The Lakers are in the middle of an eight-game road trip and will need everyone at their best to continue building consistency. That means Smart is playing through a sprained finger to help complete the win.

“I dislocated my surgical finger and I said, ‘I don’t want to come out of the game,'” Smart laughed. “Try to get it back quickly and if not then I’ll be out, but I managed to come back… It’s part of the game, that’s who I am. I’m a tough player, things happen and I want to be able to help my team in any way I can whether I have 10 fingers or nine.”