Horford scored 14 points in 37 minutes to go with 9 rebounds, 4 assists. His defense was even more valuable, and the 38-year-old registered 3 steals and 1 block for the game. As is often the case, the box score only tells part of the story.<\/p>\n The Lakers patiently tried to isolate Horford on offense. Doing so allowed James and Doncic to attack the big man on an island, away from the basket. By Mazzulla’s estimation, Horford took the challenge personally.<\/p>\n “I think it motivates him,” Mazzulla said. “I think when when people do it, it motivates him.”<\/p>\n James and Doncic combined to shoot 40% from the field for the entire game, and struggled to get past Horford. Each stop delighted the fans at TD Garden, including Mazzulla. He explained that Horford’s performance turned him into a fan himself.<\/p>\n “I got to watch five possessions of him defend at a high-level,” Mazzulla said of Horford. “At one point I wasn’t coaching, I was just watching him.”<\/p>\n “I was like, ‘man, this guy’s a future Hall of Famer. I get to watch this for free’,” Mazzulla remarked. “He’s just an innate competitor, and it inspires the team.”<\/p>\n With Kristaps Porzingis sidelined once again, Horford’s defense was all the more valuable. Boston is set to host the Oklahoma City Thunder this Wednesday, another test for Horford and the Celtics.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla enjoyed his front row seat to Al Horford’s defensive clinic versus LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":40998,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-40997","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nba"],"yoast_head":"\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>