MEMPHIS — Al Horford looked nothing like a 38-year-old on Monday night as he helped lead the Celtics to their ninth straight win on the road against the Memphis Grizzlies at Fedex Forum. After stepping aside in the starting five to let Xavier Tillman get a start against his former team, Horford erupted for a season-high 26 points off the bench in a 117-103 Boston win. The big man knocked down a career-high six 3-point field goals in the victory over his 37 minutes as Boston rode with double bigs for nearly the entirety of the victory.
“I’m always trying to make the right play, and the right play tonight was for me to shoot it,” Horford said. “But it was great. I didn’t know what to expect with them but I was ready for it.”
The performance for Horford was par for the course for a Celtics team that has won 14 of their last 15 games overall heading into the stretch drive. The big man has been at his best against playoff opponents this year and Monday night was no different with several other regulars having a tough shooting night from beyond the arc. With the Grizzlies packing the paint, Horford was able to deliver and also added nine rebounds in the victory.
“I thought once we kind of settled in, we were able to make the reads we were able to make,” Joe Mazzulla said after the Celtics rallied from an 11-point first half deficit. “Regardless of what Al’s doing, he’s important for us when he’s on the floor and I thought he took it to another level tonight.”
With Horford’s importance looking as crucial as ever playing as a single big or alongside Kristaps Porzingis or Luke Kornet, the Celtics front office will have a potentially fascinating situation to handle when it comes to his future. The big man is set to become a free agent this summer as he turns 39 and he’s currently outplaying his $9.5 million deal in the final year of his contract.
Boston already has over $220 million committed in payroll for next year and are set to pay a record-breaking amount of luxury tax penalties that will put their total payroll bill well over $500 billion. All of that comes without figuring out what the next deal for Horford will be.
The big man has made nearly $290 million in his career so it’s safe to say he won’t be looking to break the bank in his next deal. However, he’s never been one to take much of a discount and he’s certainly playing well enough this season to command mid-level exception type money on the open market. Boston certainly wouldn’t be able to afford that given the tax penalties involved without clearing out significant salary across other areas of the roster.
Life would become far easier if Horford takes a veteran’s minimum deal but it’s hard to justify him doing that with his numbers across the board this year, along with big performances like we saw on Monday night. It’s evident Horford also still takes a lot of pride in his play.
“I think, for me, a lot of goes into what you guys see out here,” Horford said. “There’s preparation and getting myself ready as best as I can to perform and take care of my body. For me, it’s always staying ready and trying to play the right way. I put in a lot of work so even though I’m older, I feel like I can do things when I’m called and contribute and impact winning. It all goes for me with my preparation and my work.”
For now, the Celtics are reaping the benefits of Horford defying Father Time. Whether they can afford to keep him alongside the rest of this core beyond this season is a open question.
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