BOSTON – The Celtics are in the midst of one of their most grueling stretches of the season, playing five games in seven nights. Facing Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks in the middle of this grind is a tall order for any team, but the Celtics were up to the challenge defensively on Friday night. Boston limited the Bucks to just six points in the final six minutes of their 111-105 win and Antetokounmpo was held in check (by his standards) with just 30 points on 25 field goals and just six free throws.
A key part of this defense? Al Horford went minute-to-minute in the game with Antetokounmpo, making sure the team’s best big defender was in the game every second Antetokounmpo was on the floor.
Normally, that would be a big ask for a 38-year-old Horford to play the same minutes (36) as Antetokounmpo in a regular season game. Horford is averaging just xx minutes per game this year and that’s a number that the coaching staff has wisely kept this year despite the absence of Kristaps Porzingis for 18 games to start the year.
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However, Boston’s schedule presented a hidden opportunity for Horford on Friday night, and Mazzulla took advantage. The Celtics had a back-to-back on Saturday against the Grizzlies, but the world knows Horford wouldn’t play in that game (he hasn’t played in two years). After that game? The Celtics don’t play again until Thursday, giving the team four days off. That adds up to five days for Horford to know he will be out on Saturday.
Horford’s unusually long recovery period allowed Mazzulla to push it with his big veteran and play him closer to postseason minutes, knowing full well that recovery wouldn’t be an issue afterward. In fact, the Celtics will only play two games in 11 days after Saturday, giving the team a great chance to catch their midseason breath.
With Porzingis out Friday, Mazzulla leaned into that aspect with great success, knowing Horford would be proud of the game.
“There are certain teams that (feel different) and we’ve been since JT’s rookie year, we went seven against those guys,” Horford said. “Year after year, both teams have had a lot of success in the East and it’s different, every time we play them and that’s the reality.”
It was a night that was a good litmus test for Boston with a rival in town and at full strength for the first time all year with Khris Middleton back healthy. Boston could have been ripe for an upset in its fourth game in six nights, especially when the 3-ball wasn’t coming early (0-for-12 in the second quarter).
Still, Horford helped anchor a stellar Celtics defense late, and having him on the floor for 36 minutes against Antetokounmpo may very well have been the difference in Boston’s third straight win. Mazzulla saw his veteran’s rare opportunity to put his foot on the gas at a limited disadvantage and took advantage of it.
“I think for us, it’s a responsibility that we have,” Horford said. “We always want to play high-level basketball. And for them, obviously, many teams want to be in this type of position. They’re competitors, they want to get to that point, and they’re playing better basketball. But for us, it’s just a sign of respect, and it’s something we fight really hard to maintain here, that kind of environment.”