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Report: Marcus Smart missed team flight, suspended for Celtics preseason finale

The Boston Celtics suspended guard Marcus Smart for their preseason finale against the Miami Heat on Friday night after violating a team rule, they announced on Thursday.

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Smart missed the team’s flight to Miami earlier this week.

“We’re going to keep that in-house,” Smart said after practice in Miami on Thursday, via ESPN. “It’s over and done with.”

It’s unclear why or how Smart got to Miami on his own. The Celtics were in Orlando on Wednesday night, where they lost 103-102 to the Magic. Smart didn’t play in that contest, though neither did Jayson Tatum, Dennis Schroder or Josh Richardson. (Jaylen Brown and Al Horford were sidelined in COVID-19 protocols.)

"He's remorseful, and we hold Marcus to a high standard," Celtics coach Ime Udoka said, via ESPN. "We've made it clear from Day 1, so he'll obviously be out tomorrow night. He's with us here on the trip. Just look forward to moving on from this growing and obviously abiding by the team rules and principles.

"Marcus is one of our leaders that we expect a lot from. He understands that. He's remorseful, and we'll move on from there."

Smart averaged a career-high 13.1 points and 5.7 assists per game last season, his seventh with the Celtics. In the offseason, the 27-year-old signed a four-year, $76 million contract extension to remain in Boston through the 2025-26 season.

Smart will be available for the Celtics' season opener against the New York Knicks on Wednesday at Madison Square Garden, where they've opened as a 1-point underdog on BetMGM.

Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart
Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart reportedly missed a team flight this week, and has been suspended for their final preseason game. (AP/Charles Krupa) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)