Celtics start Jae Crowder in Game 4 after Marcus Smart oversleeps
The Boston Celticsstarted forward Jae Crowder and moved rookie guard Marcus Smart to the bench for Sunday's Game 4 of their opening-round playoff series against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Celtics coach Brad Stevens said he planned to start Crowder after Saturday's practice, reportsThe Boston Globe's Adam Himmelsbach, although Smart overslept and was late for the team's shootaround on Sunday. Stevens said he was unsure when Smart would enter the game.
The Celtics face elimination down 3–0 in the series.
"Marcus may not play early with [the second unit], I don't know what we're going to do," Stevens said, reports ESPN.com's Chris Forsberg. "Marcus was, and I told him I'd share this with you, Marcus was late for shootaround because he overslept. We've been there before and, as I told Marcus, I'm not worried about him at all. This is not a big Marcus thing. And Jae Crowder would have started anyways."
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In the series' first three games, Crowder is third on the team with 12.0 points and 5.7 rebounds in 27.7 minutes per game off the bench. Smart, who started the first three games, averaged 9.3 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 23.0 minutes.
Stevens also said forward Jared Sullinger will be a game-time decision. Sullinger sustained a bruised tailbone in Game 3 on Thursday.
- Mike Fiammetta
