Thursday’s game in Utah was certainly an interesting one for Lakers guard Marcus Smart. He shone on the offensive end, with 17 points on 5-for-9 shooting from the 3-pointline, converting on the looks the Jazz gave him when the ball was in the hands of Luka Doncic and LeBron James.
It marked the second offensive explosion–by his standards–for Smart, who scored 26 points and was 8-for-14 from the 3-point line in his return from a persistent back injury last week against the Spurs. Smart is, of course, on the Lakers for his defensive prowess and ability to guard the ball, so any level of offensive production from him is a welcome surprise.
After the game, Smart turned heads with his scrutiny of the Lakers’ defense, which has been a talking point for coach JJ Redick in recent weeks. The Lakers won, but the Jazz scored 78 first-half points and the final wound up being 143-135.
But while fans and teammates took note of Smart for those reasons, the referees on that night took note of him for a different reason altogether: He gave them an obscene gesture at halftime.
Marcus Smart Given Tougher Penalty Than Ime Udoka
On Saturday, it was announced by the NBA that Smart would face a pretty hefty fine for this actions in the Lakers win: $35,000. Considering that Rockets coach Ime Udoka was fined just $25,000 this week for publicly bashing the referees in a Rockets loss. In that instance, Udoka called the game the “most poorly officiated game I have seen in a long time,” adding that crew chief Zach Zarba officiated like he was “starstruck” and saying the other two refs on the crew, “have no business being out there.”
From the NBA communications department: “Los Angeles Lakers guard Marcus Smart has been fined $35,000 for making an obscene gesture toward a game official, it was announced today by James Jones, Executive Vice President, Head of Basketball Operations.
“The incident occurred at halftime of the Lakers’ 143-135 win over the Utah Jazz on Dec. 18 at Delta Center.”
If it was worth $10,000 more than what Udoka said publicly, it must have been a very obscene gesture, indeed.
Lakers Need to Play Better Defense, Marcus Smart Says
Smart will pay his fine and move on to Saturday’s game against the Clippers, in hopes that the Lakers can put forth a much better defensive effort than what they’ve been showing lately. One problem the team has, Smart said, is that the Lakers know they can lean on their offense to get them out of tight jams.
The Lakers are sixth in the NBA in offensive efficiency (118.8) and 22nd defensively (117.1).
“We have a lot of star power offensively,” he said. “In this game, let’s just call it what it is—offense is what people want to see. That’s the name of the game, so it is tough defensively sometimes. That’s why when you’re in the starting lineup, you see, from the tip, I am trying to pick guys up full court.
“Just trying to—toughest team sets the rules, so I am trying to set the rules early for us, trying to get us going early. It doesn’t always work out that way but in a perfect world it will.”
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