Ageless Al Horford put up vintage performance for Celtics against Jokic, Nuggets
The Boston Celtics avoided their first three-game losing streak of the season on Sunday, holding off the Denver Nuggets for a 110-103 victory at TD Garden. Jaylen Brown and Derrick White led the charge offensively, but it was ageless wonder Al Horford who held it all together.
The 38-year-old Horford continues to age like a fine wine for Boston, turning in one of his best two-way performances against Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets on Sunday. With Kristaps Porzingis out with an illness, Horford had to do a lot of heavy lifting on both ends of the floor. He found himself guarding the NBA's most complete player for much of the afternoon, and held the three-time MVP to just 20 points, 14 rebounds, and nine assists on the afternoon.
Jokic is at his most dangerous when he's setting up his teammates, which opens the door for him to take over as a scorer. But Horford applied the pressure on Jokic defensively, meeting at halfcourt on a number of occasions, and held him to a fairly pedestrian afternoon in Boston.
"He's one of the best players in the league at guarding the other best players in the league, no matter what position they are," head coach Joe Mazzulla said of Horford after the win. "He was just elite tonight. On the defensive end of the floor with his positioning, his communication, his physicality, his rebounding -- it was amazing to watch."
Horford logged 35 minutes of action for just the third time this season on Sunday, but he never ran out of gas. His competitive fire simply won't allow it.
"I just like to compete. It comes down to that," Horford said of his matchup with Jokic. "There's just so much that he does. He's so difficult to defend. He's just unpredictable. What makes it worse is that he plays the right way."
Horford also made Jokic work on the defensive end. The vet shed his usually unselfish approach on offense and attacked the hoop throughout the contest. He racked up 19 points off 7-of-12 shooting, good for his second-highest scoring game of the season. That included a trio of fast-break layups, as Horford turned back the clock and gave a vintage performance for Boston.
Horford comes through in the clutch
Two of Horford's three steals on the afternoon came in the final five minutes of the game and helped the Celtics secure the victory. A Horford theft on a bad pass by Jokic with 4:29 left led to an easy alley-oop between White and Luke Kornet on the other end, putting the Celtics up 99-91.
But the Nuggets continued to fight, and the Celtics needed another Horford steal to really seal the win.
Horford found himself switched onto Jamal Murray in the final minutes of the contest, and the Denver guard was able to take advantage of the matchup a few times before Horford was able to adjust and buckle down. Murray hit a three over Horford on one switch, and then drove by the Boston big for an easy layup to cut the Celtics' lead to 102-99 with just over a minute remaining in the battle.
But Horford was ready the next time he found himself on Murray. With less than a minute left, he cut off Murray's drive twice before deflecting his attempt to feed Jokic. The deflection ended up in the hands of White and started a Boston fast break, which concluded with an easy layup from Horford on the other end.
Brown joked after the game that Horford should have thrown down a dunk for the final exclamation point, but that might be asking a lot from a 38-year-old in his 35th minute of the game. And it just goes to show that Horford doesn't have to be flashy to make a huge impact for the Celtics. The glue guy loves doing the dirty work, which is greatly appreciated by everyone else in green.
Whether it was Jokic or Murray, Horford was always willing to put in the work defensively. It's that versatility that makes Horford so valuable to the Celtics and their quest for another NBA title. Even with Sunday's heavy workload, Horford and his competitiveness never waivered.
"Just as much as he helps us versus the opponent, he helps us in our locker room because of his competitiveness," said Mazzulla. "I think some people mistake his kindness for weakness at times, but he's one of the most competitive people I know. And you can tell when he brings it. Tonight was one of those nights."
