Celtics lose Smart 2-3 weeks with right calf injury

FILE – Boston Celtics’ Marcus Smart (36) gestures at a Miami Heat player during the second half of an NBA conference final playoff basketball game, Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2020, in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart will miss the next two to three weeks of the NBA season with a right calf strain, the team announced Sunday.

A Sunday morning MRI exam showed Smart had suffered a mild muscle tear, allowing doctors to make a timetable for his recovery.

“Be back in no time,” Smart tweeted Sunday. “The squad got this.”

Smart suffered the injury Saturday in Boston’s 96-95 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.

He was helped off the court with 10:28 remaining in the fourth quarter after a collision under the basket with Lakers forward Montrezl Harrell, who tipped in a basket but landed on Smart’s foot.

The 26-year-old American, in his seventh NBA campaign, is averaging 13.1 points and 6.1 assists a game, both career highs.

At 10-8, the Celtics are fifth in the Eastern Conference.