Marcus Smart to miss 4-6 weeks with torn oblique

BOSTON — For the second year in a row, the Celtics are going to be shorthanded when the NBA playoffs begin this weekend.

Marcus Smart, who started a career-high 60 games this season, will be sidelined for 4-6 weeks after suffering an injury in the next-to-last game.

The team announced on Wednesday night that Smart has a partial avulsion of the left oblique abdominal muscle. The Celtics said he is "expected to return to basketball activities in 4-6 weeks. [...]

BOSTON — For the second year in a row, the Celtics are going to be shorthanded when the NBA playoffs begin this weekend.

Marcus Smart, who started a career-high 60 games this season, will be sidelined for 4-6 weeks after suffering an injury in the next-to-last game.

The team announced on Wednesday night that Smart has a partial avulsion of the left oblique abdominal muscle. The Celtics said he is “expected to return to basketball activities in 4-6 weeks.’’

The earliest that Smart would be able to play under that timetable is May 15, which would be the start of the Eastern Conference finals.

The Celtics made it to Game 7 of the conference finals a year ago despite being without both Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward.

Smart was hurt midway through the third quarter of Sunday night’s loss to the Orlando Magic in the final home game.

He was on defense and ran into Magic center Nikola Vucevic. Smart was in obvious pain on the floor and went to the bench during a timeout, then returned to the court.

But seconds later, Smart collapsed to the floor running back on defense and was helped to the locker room. An MRI was done on Wednesday afternoon and it revealed the muscle tear.

After practice on Wednesday, coach Brad Stevens said that Smart “is still pretty sore. We’ll see where that leads us.’’

Smart, who moved into the starting lineup in late November, had perhaps his best regular season.

After shooting 30.1 percent from 3-point range a year ago, he improved to 36.4 percent and shot 42 percent overall, up from 36.7.

Smart’s effectiveness on defense remains a key to his game and the Celtics depend on his grittiness at the defensive end of the floor.

Stevens has options to replace Smart in the starting lineup, including Jaylen Brown, who had a strong finish to the regular season after a slow start.

Terry Rozier, who started in place of Irving in the playoffs last season, is a possibility as well.

Smart was a restricted free agent last summer and after receiving no offers, he returned to the Celtics on a four-year, $52 million contract.