Marcus Smart: Box Score Lied — Lakers Beat Timberwolves

Marcus Smart says the box score lied after the Lakers’ 128-110 win over the Timberwolves — he had three points, an assist, two steals and a team-high +24 in 21 minutes, but "I try not to look at the stats… those stats aren't going to do me any justice." Signed this summer to a two-year deal and once the 2022 Defensive Player of the Year, Smart is being asked to "establish physicality," as coach JJ Redick put it, and he showed it with a timely steal on Julius Randle that led to a Rui Hachimura dunk. Merlin sees a veteran whose impact lives in the intangibles: communication, toughness, and defensive disruption. If Smart can stay healthy, his presence will shape matchups and set a tone the Lakers want to own — box scores may lag, but opponents will feel him.