Interim Head Coach Joe Mazzulla talks about the Celtics lack of effort vs. Oklahoma City Thunder.
Tuesday night wasn't a happy homecoming for Marcus Smart.
The Celtics guard, who played his college basketball at nearby Oklahoma State, was ejected from Boston's game against the Thunder in Oklahoma City late in the third quarter. Smart appeared to disagree with a foul call, and as he walked to the bench to be subbed out for Derrick White, he directed some choice words at referee Lauren Holtkamp, who had already given Smart a technical foul earlier in the game.
Smart appeared to yell one last remark toward Holtkamp, which caused her to give Smart the technical and trigger an automatic ejection.
The ejection enraged Smart, who had to be restrained by head coach Joe Mazzulla and a Celtics assistant as he was escorted off the floor.
Mazzulla was asked after the game if he was worried that Smart would try to confront Holtkamp after his ejection.
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"I wasn't worried he was going to go after (her), I was just making sure that he didn't," Mazzulla replied. "I just wanted to protect him, that's all. But just, whatever the case happened between him and the referee -- they made the call, and I just made sure I protected him to get him out of there."
Tuesday night was Smart's first ejection of the season, and it came on a night of overall frustration for the Celtics, who were embarrassed by the lottery-bound Thunder in a 150-117 blowout loss.