Tag: Al Horford

Luke Kornet ruled out of Celtics playoff opener vs. Miami

The Boston Celtics third-string center will miss the playoff opener against the Miami Heat with a calf strain.

Luke Kornet will not suit up for the Boston Celtics when they begin their playoff run on Sunday (April 21). They will face the Miami Heat in the opening round. The Heat are coming into the game, having played in two play-in tournament contests. The veteran big man is dealing with a right calf strain.

Without Kornet in the rotation, Boston will likely rely on Xavier Tillman to be the team’s third-string big man. Tillman will provide Boston with switchability at the center position while also giving Joe Mazzulla an option to match the Heat’s physicality if the game begins to get chippy.

Kornet has been a big part of Mazzulla’s rotation this season. He’s played in 63 games this season, averaging 5.3 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.1 assists while shooting 70% from the field. Kornet is especially effective when containing ball-handlers while defending pick-and-roll actions.

Mazzulla will likely shorten his rotation heading into the postseason, which means Kornet’s role was likely to be marginalized with Al Horford being the primary bench big. Nevertheless, the Celtics will likely want their trusty backup center back sooner rather than later. Fortunately, Tillman is a capable deputy.

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Do the Celtics have four future Hall of Famers on their roster?

How many future Hall of Famers due the Boston Celtics have on their roster?

The Boston Celtics are enjoying what could become a historic season for the franchise. They sit first in the Eastern Conference with a 15-game cushion over the second-placed Milwaukee Bucks. They also have the best record in the NBA. Joe Mazzulla’s team is widely expected to contend for the Larry O’Brien trophy at the end of the season.

A significant part of Boston’s success this season has been the sheer level of talent on its roster. Its starting five could be an All-Star group. Al Horford coming off the bench is a luxury most teams could only dream of. As such, it’s no surprise that Bleacher Report’s Dan Favale has listed four members of Boston’s roster as future Hall of Famers.

“The issue with the Boston Celtics isn’t spotting Hall of Fame candidates,” Favale wrote. “It’s deciding on how many.”

Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Jrue Holiday and Al Horford are Favale’s selections. Depending on how successful the Celtics are in the coming years, we may need to add Derrick White and Kristaps Porzingis to that list, too.

Right now, it doesn’t matter how many roster members could potentially make the Hall of Fame. The important thing is winning a championship and proving that the current roster is among the best in the history of the NBA. Boston has been building to this moment; now is the time to execute.

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Celtics provide encouraging Jrue Holiday update

The Boston Celtics have upgraded Jrue Holiday ahead of their game against the Atlanta Hawks on Thursday.

The Boston Celtics suffered defeat at the hands of the Atlanta Hawks on Monday (March 25). However, they will get their chance for revenge when the two teams face off again on Thursday (March 28). In Boston’s recent loss, they were playing without Jrue Holiday and Derrick White, as both members of the starting backcourt sat out the game due to injury.

However, with Boston’s rematch on the horizon, White’s name is not on the injury report. Furthermore, Holiday, who has missed the Celtics’ last five games with a shoulder injury, has been upgraded to “questionable” ahead of the game.

Al Horford, Jaden Springer and Xavier Tillman are also on the injury list, all of whom are also cited as questionable heading into the day. Nevertheless, Holiday’s potential availability will be the biggest storyline for Celtics fans to follow leading up to tipoff.

The veteran guard’s presence could help limit any chances of the Hawks enjoying another mid-game surge.

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‘We’re just hungry for more,’ says Sam Hauser of win over Chicago Bulls

“It’s not in our character to just, like, mail it in for the rest of the season,” he explained.

Even with the Boston Celtics missing three starters in Jaylen Brown, Jrue Holiday, and Kristaps Porzingis, the Boston Celtics had little difficulty putting away the Chicago Bulls at United Center on Saturday night.

The Celtics won 124-113 with contributions from usual bench players filling in as starters, including Al Horford, whose 5-of-10 night from beyond the arc helped power Boston to the win, their 57th. “Different people, different guys, are ready to step up when their number’s called,” said Horford via the AP.

“We all understand what we’re trying to do, how we’re trying to play. Guys are just staying ready and taking advantage of the opportunities,” he added.

Reserve forward Sam Hauser (23 points, 5 rebounds) agreed. “We’re just hungry for more,” he explained. “It’s not in our character to just, like, mail it in for the rest of the season.”

The Celtics have just 11 games left in their 2023-24 NBA regular season schedule vs. just 10 teams, so their collective character won’t be tested too much. 

Leaving the rest of us wondering, how many more games is this team going to win, even when they aren’t playing their best players?

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Celtics upgrade three starters ahead of Detroit Pistons game

The Boston Celtics have upgraded Jaylen Brown, Sam Hauser and Al Horford ahead of their game against the Detroit Pistons.

The Boston Celtics have upgraded Jaylen Brown, Sam Hauser and Kristaps Porzingis to “available” for their game against the Detroit Pistons on Friday (March 22.) Jayson Tatum and Al Horford will miss the game due to injury, having been downgraded from “questionable.”

Horford’s absence is to be expected. He has sat out the one night of back-to-backs for the past two seasons. As the Celtics will face the Chicago Bulls on Saturday (March 23), it’s fair to assume Porzingis will resume his unofficial resting policy and miss that game.

Detroit will be without a significant portion of their rotation when they face the Celtics on Friday. Nevertheless, Boston must remain focused as they continue to surge toward cementing the top seed in the Eastern Conference. They need to win three more games to make it official.

Boston are coming into their game against Detroit on a seven-game win streak and will undoubtedly be looking to make it eight, with a view to securing their ninth on Saturday.

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Al Horford wanted Sam Hauser to break league record against Wizards

Al Horford was hoping Sam Hauser would pop for 15 or more threes against the Washington Wizards.

Sam Hauser scored 10 3-point shots during the Boston Celtics win over the Washington Wizards. Unfortunately, the sharpshooting forward suffered an ankle injury in the third quarter after falling awkwardly in front of Washington’s bench.

Hauser left the game and didn’t return, leaving him two threes shy of becoming the new record-holder for most perimeter buckets in a game. Marcus Smart currently holds the record with 11 made 3s. Speaking to the media after the game, veteran big man Al Horford revealed that he was rooting for Hauser to not only break Boston’s record but also set a new league record.

“It was impressive,” said Horford. “Most impressive to me was that everything was within the flow of the offense. We just played our game, and guys were mindful he was there. I was hoping he was going to go for 15, you know break the Celtics record but also go for the league record. We knew he had seven at halftime, and we definitely wanted to make sure we kept him involved in the offense. When you got it going that like, you want to keep it going.”

Hauser will miss the Celtics’ upcoming game against the Detroit Pistons. Nevertheless, his scoring outburst against the Wizards will undoubtedly have reminded everyone why he’s such an important part of the rotation. He’s one of the best movement-shooting snipers in the NBA.

Hauser has played in 66 games this season. He will likely feature heavily throughout the playoffs. For an undrafted forward who started out on a two-way contract with the Celtics, he’s rapidly become a core part of their roster. Hopefully, he won’t be out with an injury for too long.

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Is Xavier Tillman the long-term Al Horford replacement for Boston?

Can Xavier Tillman emerge as the long-term replacement to Al Horford?

The Boston Celtics acquired Xavier Tillman shortly before the February 8 trade deadline. They sent out two future second-round picks and Lamar Stevens to get the deal over the line. Tillman provides Boston with a physical presence in the middle of the floor and is known to have untapped potential as a passing big man.

During his brief spell with the Celtics, Tillman has begun to show similarities to Al Horford in terms of play style. Both big men operate with a cerebral approach to the game. They rely on angles rather than athleticism. They work for the team within the system and operate at a high level on both sides of the floor.

In the latest episode of the “Green With Envy” podcast, hosts Will Weir and Greg Maneikis discuss the impact Celtics fans have already seen from Tillman, and discuss whether he can be the long-term solution to replacing Al Horford.

You can watch the full episode by clicking on the embedded link above.

Listen to the “Green With Envy” podcast on:

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Celtics injury report: Kristaps Porzingis ruled out vs. Warriors

The Boston Celtics have ruled Kristaps Porzingis out of their game against the Golden State Warriors on Sunday, March 3.

Kristaps Porzingis has been ruled out for the Boston Celtics game against the Golden State Warriors on Sunday (March 3.) The veteran big man is dealing with a left quad contusion. His absence will be a big blow to a Celtics team looking to secure their 11th straight win.

The Warriors have some injury concerns of their own. Andrew Wiggins is out due to personal reasons. Steph Curry and Brandin Podziemski are both questionable. Due to Porzingis’ absence, Al Horford will likely step into the starting lineup, with either Xavier Tillman, Sr. or Luke Kornet receiving a boost in minutes to cover for Horford’s role change.

Boston will likely be confident of remaining highly competitive coming into the game. They’ve been dominant all season and have operated without Porzingis in the rotation multiple times during the season.

Porzingis joined the Celtics during the summer via trade. He has quickly established himself as a core member of the team’s rotation, and is averaging 20.3 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.9 assists on 52.6% shooting from the field and 37.5% shooting from the perimeter.

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Every Boston Celtics All-Star for each season the game was played

Every single Boston Celtics All-Star in franchise history.

The 2024 NBA All-Star Game is set to kick off in Indianapolis, Indiana. A pair of Boston Celtics will be part of the action for the third year in a row as Jayson Tatum plays as a starter and Jaylen Brown a reserve for the Eastern Conference All-Stars.

Tatum and Brown join a long list of Celtics stars who have participated in the event, now entering its 73rd year of existence, which actually got its start in the old Boston Garden. Initially created to improve the image of professional basketball after a point-shaving scandal in NCAA ball besmirched the sport in the eyes of the public, the event has taken on a life of its own as one of the league’s most anticipated events.

Let’s take a look at all the Celtics who have taken part.

A visual history of the Boston Celtics in the Skills Challenge

The event, which tests a player’s ball-handling, passing and shooting ability, is arguably the hardest to succeed at.

As far as NBA All-Star Week competitions go, the league’s Taco Bell Skills Challenge is a relative newcomer after having been introduced for the first time at the 2003 All-Star Game. This year, there will be no Boston Celtics players participating in the 2024 Skills Challenge, however.

Still, it has had a decent number of Celtics players try their hand at winning the contest, though only one — a current Boston player, at that — has taken home the hardware. The event, which tests a player’s ball-handling, passing and shooting ability, is arguably both the hardest to succeed at, yet is also the least popular of the three major individual competitions of the various events held in the week’s festivities.

Let’s review the franchise’s history competing in the event.