Marcus Smart gets huge applause after return from sprained ankle

Marcus Smart is beloved by fans in Boston, and what transpired on Saturday night served as a reminder of that point.

Smart went down with an ankle injury a minute into the third quarter of Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals between his Boston Celtics and the Miami Heat on Saturday night. Smart collided with Kyle Lowry while they were chasing a rebound and came down hurt.

Marcus Smart went back to the locker room with an apparent leg injury after a collision with Kyle Lowry. pic.twitter.com/VmdmbyIqG0

— ESPN (@espn) May 22, 2022

Even though Smart appeared to be in tremendous pain, he was able to return to the game about four minutes later. Smart received a huge applause when he checked back into the game.

The fans in Boston shower Marcus Smart with cheers as he returns to action! #BleedGreen pic.twitter.com/4TDQNH9yfz

— NBA (@NBA) May 22, 2022

The reigning Defensive Player of the Year still wound up playing 37 minutes in the game, though he was an uncharacteristically poor -15.