Marcus Smart drills 11 three-pointers in Boston Celtics loss to Phoenix Suns to set new franchise record
Sunday 19 January 2020 11:20, UK
Marcus Smart set a new franchise record by hitting 11 three-pointers in the Boston Celtics' 123-119 defeat against the Phoenix Suns on Saturday.
His performance also marked the first time in NBA history that a player made 11 or more shots from deep in a losing effort, according to Stats.
Smart shot 11 for 22 from three-point range and 13 of 25 overall as he finished with a career-best 37 points.
The Celtics were missing two of their top three leading scorers - Kemba Walker (team-best 22.1 per game), out with left knee soreness, and Jaylen Brown (20.0), sidelined for the second straight game with a sprained right thumb and Smart decided to compensate for their absence by firing from deep all night.
As they kept dropping, he kept shooting, besting the team's previous record mark of nine three-point makes in a game.
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"He obviously was shooting confidently, made some big shots late into the game and into the [first] half," Boston coach Brad Stevens said. "He's a tough guy and he got a lot of good looks and took advantage of it."
Smart's 37 points also shattered his previous best scoring night - 27 points versus Cleveland in the 2017 playoffs - by double digits. Smart had posted a season-high 24 points in Milwaukee on Thursday night and produced the first consecutive 20+ point nights of his career with Saturday's outburst.
"Right now, [the record] means nothing. I'd trade all that in for a win, especially with the way this team has been playing," said Smart. "I'd rather have the win than the record. I mean, obviously it's a great accomplishment. It just shows the hard work that I've been putting in is paying off.
"But I'd rather trade that in for the win."
Smart was not the only man on fire in TD Garden.
Devin Booker loves playing in Boston. Three years ago, Booker scored 70 points in a loss to the Celtics in TD Garden and on Saturday, his near triple-double effort was just barely enough for the Phoenix Suns to overcome Smart's performance.
Booker had 39 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists and his two free throws sealed it with 4.8 seconds left.
"I feel like there were times where we could've put them away, but [an] experienced team that has been in this situation before is never gonna give up," Booker said.
Phoenix coach Monty Williams added: "It's something I don't take for granted to have a guy that can get buckets like that."
