For one stretch in Saturday night’s game at TD Garden, Joe Mazzulla, the Boston Celtics head coach, became Joe Mazzulla, the basketball fan.
“I got to watch five possessions of him defending at a high level, and at one point, I wasn’t coaching,” Mazzulla said. “I was just watching him, and I was like, ‘Man, this guy’s a future Hall of Famer. I get to watch this for free.’”
Mazzulla wasn’t talking about LeBron James, who remains a top-flight player at age 40. He was marveling at the player who spent much of the game defending James and the Lakers’ other top scoring threats: 38-year-old Al Horford.
Los Angeles repeatedly targeted Horford in isolation and found little success. Horford, who played 37 minutes with Kristaps Porzingis unavailable due to illness, posted the best defensive rating of any starter on either team while notching three steals and a block in the Celtics’ 111-101 victory.
“Pivotal,” Jaylen Brown said. “Al is just old reliable. He’s just the ultimate connector for us on both ends. Hits timely shots, uses his intelligence, his basketball IQ to put the team into a tough spot. Took advantage of those tough matchups when they tried to switch him, and on defense, he was battling with LeBron. He was rebounding. So he’s huge for us, and we just want to keep him healthy and continue to just make it easy for him. We need him ready to go in the playoffs.”
Horford faced 23 defensive isos in the game, the second-most ever recorded by NBA player tracking, and those plays produced just 0.39 points per possession. Lakers players went just 8-for-24 when defended by the veteran big man and 3-for-13 on 2-point shots against Horford.
“It motivates him. I think when people (target him), it motivates him,” Mazzulla said. “… I think he was motivated by that, and he’s just an innate competitor, and it inspires our team.”
James, in particular, struggled to win that matchup. Across two Celtics-Lakers games this season, the four-time NBA MVP shot 2-for-12 and scored six points while guarded by Horford. (James exited Saturday’s contest with a groin strain midway through the fourth quarter.)
“For me, it’s just trying to find a way to have an impact,” Horford said. “These types of games always come down to those little details and defending and rebounding, and that’s right up my alley. That’s what I enjoy to do. I was excited to be in this position, and that’s my mindset in these games. It’s always been like, playing winning basketball. That’s what I want to do.”
Lakers head coach JJ Redick tipped his cap to the 18th-year pro.
“Frankly, Al Horford is awesome still,” Redick said. “He still moves his feet and does a really good job defensively.”
Horford was an impact player on the offensive end, too, finishing as Boston’s third-leading scorer (14 points) behind Jayson Tatum and Brown. At this stage of his career, most of Horford’s scoring typically comes via 3-pointers, but he was most productive inside the Lakers, going 4-for-6 in the paint and 3-for-4 from the free-throw line. He attempted three threes — including a third-quarter heave from beyond halfcourt that barely missed — and made one.
It was a similar offensive performance to the one Horford turned in six days earlier against Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets (19 points). Those two games were the only times since 2022 that Horford scored 14 or more points without making multiple 3-pointers.
Horford’s loudest highlight came when he received a fast-break feed from Brown, threw down a dunk and accidentally nailed Luka Doncic in the face with his knee while he swung from the rim.
“Al is one of a kind,” Tatum said. “He’s the anchor to our defense and the heart and soul of our team. He keeps us emotionally steady. The things that he’s able to provide in Year 18 is remarkable. I don’t think that gets talked about enough, being an intricate part of a championship team in year 18. We wouldn’t be who we are without him. What he brings on the defensive end, we feel comfortable with Al switching and guarding his yard and making it tough on whoever. Knowing that we’re all on the same page and helping behind, but we’re not worried about who Al is guarding. And then just making the right reads on the offensive end, ducking in guys, knocking down the open shot.
“I’m the biggest Al Horford fan there is. I love that guy.”
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