For one stretch in Saturday evening’s recreation at TD Backyard, Joe Mazzulla, the Boston Celtics head coach, turned Joe Mazzulla, the basketball fan.
“I obtained to look at 5 possessions of him defending at a excessive stage, and at one level, I wasn’t teaching,” Mazzulla mentioned. “I used to be simply watching him, and I used to be like, ‘Man, this man’s a future Corridor of Famer. I get to look at this without spending a dime.’”
Mazzulla wasn’t speaking about LeBron James, who stays a top-flight participant at age 40. He was marveling on the participant who spent a lot of the sport defending James and the Lakers’ different prime scoring threats: 38-year-old Al Horford.
Los Angeles repeatedly focused Horford in isolation and located little success. Horford, who performed 37 minutes with Kristaps Porzingis unavailable resulting from sickness, posted the perfect defensive score of any starter on both workforce whereas notching three steals and a block within the Celtics’ 111-101 victory.
“Pivotal,” Jaylen Brown mentioned. “Al is simply previous dependable. He’s simply the last word connector for us on each ends. Hits well timed pictures, makes use of his intelligence, his basketball IQ to place the workforce into a troublesome spot. Took benefit of these robust matchups after they tried to modify him, and on protection, he was battling with LeBron. He was rebounding. So he’s enormous for us, and we simply need to hold him wholesome and proceed to simply make it simple for him. We’d like him able to go within the playoffs.”
Horford confronted 23 defensive isos within the recreation, the second-most ever recorded by NBA participant monitoring, and people performs produced simply 0.39 factors per possession. Lakers gamers went simply 8-for-24 when defended by the veteran huge man and 3-for-13 on 2-point pictures towards Horford.
“It motivates him. I believe when folks (goal him), it motivates him,” Mazzulla mentioned. “… I believe he was motivated by that, and he’s simply an innate competitor, and it evokes our workforce.”
James, specifically, struggled to win that matchup. Throughout two Celtics-Lakers video games this season, the four-time NBA MVP shot 2-for-12 and scored six factors whereas guarded by Horford. (James exited Saturday’s contest with a groin pressure halfway by means of the fourth quarter.)
“For me, it’s simply looking for a method to have an effect,” Horford mentioned. “Most of these video games at all times come right down to these little particulars and defending and rebounding, and that’s proper up my alley. That’s what I take pleasure in to do. I used to be excited to be on this place, and that’s my mindset in these video games. It’s at all times been like, enjoying profitable basketball. That’s what I need to do.”
Lakers head coach JJ Redick tipped his cap to the 18th-year professional.
“Frankly, Al Horford is superior nonetheless,” Redick mentioned. “He nonetheless strikes his ft and does a extremely good job defensively.”
Horford was an influence participant on the offensive finish, too, ending as Boston’s third-leading scorer (14 factors) behind Jayson Tatum and Brown. At this stage of his profession, most of Horford’s scoring usually comes through 3-pointers, however he was most efficient contained in the Lakers, going 4-for-6 within the paint and 3-for-4 from the free-throw line. He tried three threes — together with a third-quarter heave from past halfcourt that hardly missed — and made one.
It was the same offensive efficiency to the one Horford turned in six days earlier towards Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets (19 factors). These two video games had been the one instances since 2022 that Horford scored 14 or extra factors with out making a number of 3-pointers.
Horford’s loudest spotlight got here when he obtained a fast-break feed from Brown, threw down a dunk and by chance nailed Luka Doncic within the face together with his knee whereas he swung from the rim.
“Al is one in every of a form,” Tatum mentioned. “He’s the anchor to our protection and the guts and soul of our workforce. He retains us emotionally regular. The issues that he’s in a position to present in 12 months 18 is exceptional. I don’t suppose that will get talked about sufficient, being an intricate a part of a championship workforce in yr 18. We wouldn’t be who we’re with out him. What he brings on the defensive finish, we really feel comfy with Al switching and guarding his yard and making it robust on whoever. Realizing that we’re all on the identical web page and serving to behind, however we’re not nervous about who Al is guarding. After which simply making the appropriate reads on the offensive finish, ducking in guys, pulling down the open shot.
“I’m the most important Al Horford fan there may be. I like that man.”
