Marcus Smart ‘celebrates’ LA’s unheralded hero in win against 76ers

LOS ANGELES – When the dust settled and the return was complete, Los Angeles Lakers won their second straight as they shut out the visiting philadelphia 76ers on thursday night. It was Austin Reeves dropped 33 points albeit on a minutes restriction, which helped turn things around in the fourth quarter. But the Lakers’ win wouldn’t be complete without Maki glueand Marcus Smart he made sure to note it down.

After the Lakers’ come-from-behind win against the 76ers, Marcus Smart explained why the team made sure to celebrate Massey Kleber’s performance.

“He’s a consummate professional. There’s a reason Maxi’s still in the league, still playing, and there’s a reason he’s on this team with us,” Smart said. “There’s a reason we celebrate him the way we do, because he comes in every day no matter what, and he gives it, whether it’s in practice, whether it’s in a game, whether he’s playing two minutes, whether he’s playing 20.

“We enjoy watching Masi because we know how hard he works and we know what he’s going to give every night,” continued Smart. “It’s not a surprise to us at all. We’re just excited to see him get a chance to do it there.”

With guard Jackson Hayes suspended for pushing the Washington Wizards’ mascot during a game last week, Kleber has been given a chance for backup minutes at center. He responded with a strong overall game, finishing with four points, four rebounds, four assists and three steals in 26 minutes. He was team-high plus-23.

All of Kleber’s rebounds were on the offensive end, giving the Lakers extra possessions. And perhaps most importantly, he provided solid defensive coverage for 76ers big man Joel Embiid in the fourth quarter. Lakers coach JJ Redick decided to close the game with Kleber, playing him for most of the final period.

Although Kleber had a solid game in the box, Reddick believed it was what didn’t show up on the scoreboard that had the most impact.

“Maxi made a number of plays that don’t necessarily show up in the box score. He had Gortat (a screen) on AR (Austin Reaves) in the first half, he had Gortat help close the game with LeBron’s dunk up the middle. He just played great defense,” Redick said. “While Maxey did score, I thought his composure when he passed on (Tirese) Makeia was really good.”

Kleber’s 26 minutes was a season high. His playing time varied throughout the season, but he remained fit and has helped in terms of leadership even if he can’t see the floor. Since being traded to the Lakers in the Luka Doncic deal, Kleber has had an unfortunate injury, but is now healthy.

“Maxi, it doesn’t matter if he played and if he had a big impact and he’s going to play in the next game, even when he’s been battling some injuries to start the season, his spirit, his approach, being a teammate and rooting for other people, that never changes,” Redick said. “He’s just, for all of our guys, he’s easy to root for.”

This season, Kleber has appeared in 25 games, including one start, with only about 11 minutes per game. He averaged 2.0 points and 1.8 rebounds while shooting 37.8 percent from the field and 75 percent from the free throw line.