BOSTON – Even in his 16th NBA season, Al Horford is still finding ways to set career-high marks.
On Friday night, the veteran center had the best 3-point shooting game that he’s ever had in a regular season matchup, as he knocked down 6-of-8 from deep in a season-best 21-point effort to help push the Boston Celtics to a 131-112 win over the Denver Nuggets at TD Garden.
Horford, who shot a perfect 3-for-3 from deep during a 12-point fourth quarter, credited his teammates for getting him open looks, especially with how Denver was loading up on Boston’s star wing duo of Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum.
"More than anything, it was just the way [the Nuggets] were playing,” said Horford. “They were pressuring Jayson and some of our guys quite a bit, and I got some open looks. The guys did a good job finding me and they were just good looks – I had to take them."
According to Brown, it was all part of the game plan to get Horford those looks.
“Tonight, we knew that the way they cover us that he would have some openings,” said Brown, who came close to a triple-double with 25 points, eight rebounds, and a season-high eight assists. “We just tried to get him the ball, and he delivered.”
Horford’s been delivering all season from this standpoint, shooting a career-high 47.8 percent from downtown. In ten games, he’s made 22-of-46 such shots, which is the second-most efficient mark in the Eastern Conference among players with at least that many attempts. His teammate, Sam Hauser, is No. 1 with a clip of 49.0 percent.
It’s also the first time in his career that Horford is attempting more 3-point shots (4.6 per game) than 2-point shots (3.1 per game). His 3-point rate of 58.5 percent is nearly 12 percentage points higher than his previous personal-high set last season.
For a guy who didn’t start shooting threes consistently until his ninth season, it has truly been a transformation.
“It's been a big adjustment,” Horford said of shifting his offensive game to mostly beyond the arc. “This summer, that's something that we looked at and I understood that I needed to work on that even more, be more comfortable, and we really worked at it. Mentally, I'm getting into that mindset of understanding that I'm shooting more 3s. That's just the way it is. The game continues to change and for me, it's trying to find a way that I can change, too."
What hasn’t changed is his overall impact as a leader who’s always willing to make sacrifices for the betterment of the team.
Jayson Tatum told Celtics.com postgame that Horford is “for sure one of the best teammates I’ve ever had at any level,” and he’s been the ultimate role model for Tatum from his rookie season six years ago to now.
“He’s extremely selfless," Tatum elaborated, "always wants what’s best for the team, and six years later now, for him to still be the same person, and at 36 years old to still be a starter for us this season and last season just shows how he takes care of his body every single day.
"It’s not a given you’re going to play 16 years in this league, and he’s still at the top of his game.”