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AUBURN HILLS, Mich. – For the first time this season, the Boston Celtics finally got a chance to play at full strength when they took on the Detroit Pistons Saturday night in Auburn Hills, Michigan.
And for the first time this season, the C’s displayed what they are capable of accomplishing when all hands are on deck.
Al Horford and Jae Crowder, who had missed extended time due to injuries, both retuned to the court Saturday night and helped Boston hand the Pistons their first home loss of the season, 94-92.
Horford, who had missed the previous nine games with a concussion, turned in a well-rounded effort, tallying 18 points, 11 rebounds, five assists, three blocks and two steals. He also turned the ball over just once and had a game-best plus-17 rating during 34 minutes of play.
Crowder, who was absent for eight contests with a sprained left ankle, chipped in with nine points and four boards, while providing a much-needed energy boost after the previous night’s demoralizing home loss to the Golden State Warriors..
“We needed it,” said Isaiah Thomas, who logged 24 points and eight assists during the win. “We needed both of those guys bad. Not just on the defensive end but on the offensive end too.
“It’s great to have those guys back. They’re a little rusty because they’ve been out for a little bit, but I don’t think anybody could tell.”
The rust was certainly not evident in Horford’s case. Not only did he stuff the stat sheet; he also delivered a go-ahead, putback layup with 1.3 seconds left in the game, and then blocked Aron Baynes’ potential game-tying shot as time expired.
“I felt really good,” Horford said of his physical state. “[It was] very frustrating these last few weeks, dealing with a lot of different things, but finally I was at the point that I felt good enough today that I was ready to play.”
Horford was more than ready, and he didn’t skip a beat from the opening tip to the final buzzer.
“For a guy who hasn’t played much in three weeks, (he) looked pretty good right out of the gate,” agreed coach Brad Stevens.
One player who reaped the benefits of Horford’s return was Thomas, who felt less pressure from a scoring and playmaking standpoint.
“He makes a huge difference,” said Thomas. “Even if he’s not scoring, he’s defending, he’s making plays for others, and just his presence out there makes the court more open for other guys to create and make plays.”
Crowder agrees that Horford “makes a world of a difference on both ends of the court,” especially when it comes to his communication skills.
“That alone goes unnoticed and it helps us so much – just his communication on the court,” said Crowder. “And it just makes the game much easier for a lot of young guys – guys who are trying to figure it out still.”
Crowder’s versatile and communicative presence makes things easier on the Celtics as well, though he admits he felt a little rusty Saturday night.
At one point during the fourth quarter, Crowder came up with a steal and began to lead Boston on a fast break, but he somehow lost his handle with no one around and turned the ball back over to the Pistons.
“The ball feels so weird,” said Crowder. “Everything feels so weird. And that play alone just tells you how weird it is for a player to sit out two weeks and just jump right back into it.”
Fortunately, that miscue was not costly as the C’s escaped with a much-needed win on the road.
It was a victory that Boston wouldn’t have been able to pull off if Crowder and Horford were not back in the lineup. And now that the Celtics are finally at full strength, they hope to keep the ball rolling.
“We know and those two guys know how much they mean to the team,” said Thomas. “It was great to have everybody back and they felt good about it, so now hopefully we can get some momentum and get a couple of wins in a row.”
The healthy and vibrant Celtics will look to carry their momentum with them Monday night to Minnesota, where they will face off against an up-and-coming Timberwolves squad.