Feb 24

MEM123
CLE129
Final
SAS96
NOP114
Final
OKC130
MIN123
Final

Feb 25

BKN99
WAS107
Final
LAC97
DET106
Final
DEN125
IND116
Final
CHI142
PHI110
Final
MIA86
ATL98
Final
MIN131
OKC128
Final
POR114
UTA112
Final
CHA88
SAC130
Final

Feb 26

BOS41-16
TOR18-39
NBCSB @12:00 AM UTC
CLE47-10
ORL29-30
TNT @12:30 AM UTC
PHX27-30
MEM37-20
KTVK @1:00 AM UTC
MIL32-24
HOU35-22
FDWI @1:00 AM UTC
SAS24-31
NOP14-43
FDSW @1:00 AM UTC
CHA14-42
GSW30-27
NBCSBAY @3:00 AM UTC
DAL31-27
LAL34-21
TNT @3:00 AM UTC

Feb 27

BOS41-16
DET32-26
NBCSB @12:00 AM UTC
POR25-33
WAS10-47
KUNP @12:00 AM UTC
TOR18-39
IND32-24
FDIN @12:00 AM UTC
PHI20-37
NYK37-20
NBCSP @12:00 AM UTC
OKC46-11
BKN21-36
FDOK @12:30 AM UTC
ATL27-31
MIA26-30
SUN @12:30 AM UTC
LAC31-26
CHI23-35
KTLA @1:00 AM UTC
SAC29-28
UTA14-43
NBCSCA @2:00 AM UTC
SAS24-31
HOU35-22
ESPN @2:30 AM UTC
Boston Celtics

Horford's elite defense vs. Doncic helped power Celtics to Game 1 win

Horford stepped up defensively in a major way for the Celtics.

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Al Horford credits Jaylen Brown for refocusing the Celtics in the timeout after the Mavericks cut the lead to 8.

If we told you before Game 1 of the 2024 NBA Finals that one Boston Celtics player would dominate defensively when matched up against Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic, the first couple guesses probably would've included Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, Jrue Holiday and Jayson Tatum.

But the player who defended Doncic the best for Boston in its 107-89 victory Thursday night at TD Garden was big man Al Horford.

Horford is an excellent defender, but he doesn't always guard players like Doncic who are smaller and excellent ballhandlers. The Mavericks used pick-and-rolls to get Horford switched on to Doncic, and the results were pretty bad for Dallas.

How bad, exactly?

Doncic shot 1-of-8 (0-of-4 on 3-pointers) and scored just two points when Horford was the primary defender, per the NBA's tracking data.

And it wasn't just Doncic that Horford locked down. The Mavs as a team shot 5-of-19 from the floor against the veteran center.

"Everyone was really locked in on the defensive end," Horford told reporters after the game. "The things that we needed to do, we just wanted to be very solid throughout."

Here are some highlights from Horford's matchup versus Doncic, via NBC Sports Boston's Chris Forsberg:

Doncic still ended up scoring 30 points, but he wasn't very efficient. He shot 12-of-26 (4-of-12 from 3-point range) in 38 minutes. He also tallied just one assist, which was his lowest single-game total of the season.

The Celtics didn't need to double Doncic at all in Game 1, and that prevented the Mavs role players on the perimeter from getting a lot of open looks from beyond the arc. When Doncic is doubled, he often finds the open man. Those opportunities were rarely available Thursday. It's one reason why the Mavs attempted just 27 3-pointers, which is seven fewer than their postseason average.

In addition to his stellar defense on Doncic, Horford also scored 10 points with seven rebounds, three assists and two blocks in 30 minutes of action. It was an excellent all-around performance from a 38-year-old veteran seeking his first championship.

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