Marcus Smart posts rare OT stat line

Marcus Smart put up 21 points, 10 assists, five steals and two blocks Friday as the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Houston Rockets 112-108 in overtime for a 3-0 series lead. (nba.com) (espn.com) The game was tied late before LeBron James hit a 3-pointer with 13 seconds left in regulation. Smart then scored eight of his 21 points in overtime at Toyota Center in Houston. (espn.com) (nba.com) Smart played 39 minutes, shot 5-for-9 from the field, made 2 of 4 from 3-point range and went 9-for-11 at the foul line. He finished with four rebounds, three turnovers and a plus impact on both ends. (nba.com) (espn.com) The stat line spread because it packed scoring, playmaking and defense into one playoff game: 21 points, 10 assists, five steals and two blocks. Those combinations are rare enough that they get tracked as one-off postseason box scores. (statmuse.com) (basketball-reference.com) This was also not a one-night spike. Through three playoff games, Smart was averaging 20.3 points, 8.3 assists, 3.7 steals and 1.7 blocks for Los Angeles. (espn.com) (nba.com) The Lakers entered Game 3 as the No. 4 seed against the No. 5 Rockets, and the overtime win moved them to the edge of the second round. Game 4 was scheduled for Sunday, April 26, in Houston. (nba.com 1) (nba.com 2) Houston played without Kevin Durant in Game 3, according to ESPN’s recap, while Alperen Sengun scored 33 points and Amen Thompson added 26 in the loss. Los Angeles still closed the game with Smart and James making the decisive plays. (espn.com) So the clip that traveled was real, but the numbers were different from the version circulating on social media: Smart’s box score was 21 points, four rebounds, 10 assists, five steals and two blocks. (nba.com) (espn.com)