Horford’s block party
Celtics’ center helps turn back Sacramento
All concerned agreed that Al Horford needed the ball more after the center took only five shots in the Celtics’ last game.
And after three quarters of sharing space in a phone booth with Sacramento, the Celtics agreed someone had to force a little separation.
Up stepped Horford, not only with big shots on his way to 26 points, including making four 3-pointers, but all of the necessary work down the other end. The Celtics center blocked six shots, including three in the fourth quarter, to help the Celtics take a 97-92 win over the Kings last night at the Garden.
Horford came within one block of his career high for rejections, and became the first Celtic since the immortal Vitor Faverani in the fall of 2013 to swat that many in a single game. Faverani was never going to approximate the value Horford is only beginning to bring to his new team.
“We knew when we recruited him that’s what he was good at,” said Isaiah Thomas. “Even when he doesn’t block shots he alters shots and changes them. He’s a helluva player at both ends of the floor and played a helluva game.”
When the right play presents itself, he can make the big shots, though one thing is clear about the 30-year-old Horford’s game — he will never force the issue. The difference between Wednesday’s low shot total and last night’s 10-of-18 performance, including 4-for-7 from beyond the bonus arc, was what the defense allowed.
It wasn’t until late, after Horford hit two 3-pointers in the last 3:48, that Sacramento began to contest him out that far.
“As long as I’m being put in those positions, I’ll continue to take what the defense gives me,” said Horford. “That’s the way that I’ve always played. One of the things is for me to get comfortable with the offense, what we’re trying to do, and knowing when to pass the ball and when to shoot it.”
Regardless of the fluctuation in Horford’s attempts, Brad Stevens is happy to accept whatever decision the center makes.
Asked if Horford has to be encouraged to shoot more, the Celtics coach responded: “No, because I think he’ll make the right basketball play. I think you want guys that want to make the right basketball play. I don’t think you ever encourage somebody not to. And the other day he made the right basketball plays too; they were doubling.”
The right basketball play took on a variety of forms for Horford against the Kings.
After three quarters, the Celtics appeared to be joined at the hip with their opponent. Thanks to a relentless 28-point performance from DeMarcus Cousins, Sacramento played the Celtics evenly, enough so that there were 18 lead changes from the start of the second quarter and the first 4:28 of the fourth quarter.
That’s when the Celtics took a bit of control with a 78-76 lead, courtesy of a Jonas Jerebko transition layup that was set up by Horford’s block of Sacramento’s Willie Cauley-Stein. Horford chased down Sacramento’s Rudy Gay on the previous possession for a block at the top of the key, and then finished the sequence with a basket in the post.
Overall the run extended to 15-2 for an 84-76 Celtics lead with 5:17 left. Though Horford set the tone in the defensive end, he wasn’t the only Celtic getting stops. Terry Rozier’s strip of Sacramento’s Ty Lawson set up a Kelly Olynyk basket during the run.
Though Gay’s 3-pointer cut the Celtics lead to 83-81 with 4:50 left, Jae Crowder answered from 20 feet. Horford buried his first of two fourth-quarter 3-pointers with 3:48 left, and came back with another bomb at the 1:15 mark for a 93-87 lead.
Avery Bradley fouled Cousins beyond the 3-point line, although the Kings star missed the first of his three free throws. Cousins came back following a pair of Thomas free throws with a 3-pointer to cut the Celtics’ lead yet again, 95-92, with 39.1 seconds left.
Cousins, on a roll, then blocked Thomas with 9.7 seconds left, leaving Sacramento with a chance at the tie, and setting up Horford for one final punctuation mark.
Though the play looked more like a strip than a block, Horford was credited with his sixth block when he ripped the ball away from Cousins as the latter attempted a 3-pointer at the top of the circle with 4.8 seconds left.
“I thought there were a couple huge plays that he made, blocking shots — the one when he trailed from behind and blocked the shot in transition, and you know, the one thing about Al is he’s always in a stance,” said Stevens. “His arms are always long. He takes up a lot of space and then he reacts quickly to what’s going on.”